soft error
An error occurence in a computer’s memory system that changes an instruction in a program or a data value. Soft errors typically can be remedied by cold booting the computer. A soft error will not damage a system’s hardware; the only damage is to the data that is being processed.
There are two types of soft errors:
chip-level soft error: These errors occur when the radioactive atoms in the chip’s material decay and release alpha particles into the chip. Because an alpha particle contains a positive charge and kinetic energy, the particle can hit a memory cell and cause the cell to change state to a different value. The atomic reaction is so tiny that it does not damage the actual structure of the chip. Chip-level errors are rare because modern memory is so stable that it would take a typical computer with a large memory capacity at least 10 years before the radioactive elements of the chip’s materials begin to decay.
system-level soft error: These errors occur when the data being processed is hit with a noise phenomenon, typically when the data is on a data bus. The computer tries to interpret the noise as a data bit, which can cause errors in addressing or processing program code. The bad data bit can even be saved in memory and cause problems at a later time.
Contrast with hard error.
Read Also:
- soft font
A font that is copied from a computer’s disk to a printer’s memory. Soft fonts can be erased, unlike resident fonts (fonts that are built into the printer) or font cartridges. Soft fonts are generated by a font program in the computer. You can control the program to specify the font size and other characteristics. […]
- soft phone
(sâft fMn) (n.) Also spelled as softphone, an application that enables a desktop, laptop or workstation computer to function as a telephone via Voice over IP technology that uses the cables of a computer network as the medium for transmitting telephone service. Equipped with a headset or a hand-held device, and using the numbers on […]
- soft return
The term return refers to moving to the beginning of the next line in a text document. Word processors utilize two types of returns: hard and soft. In both cases, the return consists of special codes inserted into the document to cause the display screen, printer, or other output device to advance to the next […]
- softlifting
A type of software piracy that occurs when users share their software with other users who are not authorized to have access by the End-User License Agreement (EULA). The most common type of softlifting occurs when a person does legitimately purchase software but installs it onto multiple computers which is a violation of the licensing […]
- softswitch
Short for software switch, a softswitch is an API that is used to bridge a traditional PSTN and VoIP by linking PSTN to IP networks and managing traffic that contains a mixture of voice, fax, data and video. Softswitches are able to process the signaling for all types of packet protocols. Softswitch is a software-based […]