Question

When data is replicated across many computers, what is the smallest number of copies required to maintain a majority consensus if one copy becomes corrupted?

Accepted Answer

You need at least five copies of the data to keep a majority consensus if one copy becomes corrupted. A majority means more than half of the group agrees on what the data should say. If you have five copies and one gets corrupted, you still have four left. Four is more than half of five, so the majority can still vote on the correct version of the data. If you only had three copies and one got corrupted, you would only have two left. In a group of three, two is a majority, but if you do not know which one of the three is corrupted, you cannot be sure the remaining two are right. With five copies, even if one is bad and another is taken offline or stops working, you still have three good copies to reach a solid agreement.

When data is replicated across many computers, what is the smallest number of copies required to maintain a majority consensus if one copy becomes corrupted?

You need at least five copies of the data to keep a majority consensus if one copy becomes corrupted. A majority means more than half of the group agrees on what the data should say. If you have five copies and one gets....

Community Answers

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When data is replicated across many computers, what is the smallest number of copies required to maintain a majority consensus if one copy becomes corrupted?

You need at least five copies of the data to keep a majority consensus if one copy becomes corrupted. A majority means more than half of the group agrees on what the data should say. If you have five copies and one gets....

Community Answers