Media Failures are generally related with the secondary storage devices like magnetic disks, magnetic tapes

etc.
Crashing the hard disk head

This type of failure happens when the read/write head of the disk comes in contact with its rotating platter. This can make a permanent damage to the disk and make loss of stored data. Unreadable media surface

Hard disks and tapes surfaces can be unreadable due to oxidation, changes in surface structure due to radiation abrasion of disc surface or edges. Additionally magnetic tapes can be unreadable due to fungal growth. Power Disruption

Storage media like hard disks are composed with very sensitive electronic components like transistors, ICs, resistors, transformers etc. They can be easily damaged even by a small power disruption. Air conditioning failure

Air conditioning failure can increase the heat of devices. It can act as a cause for disk head crashes in magnetic disks. Other than that increased humidity may cause to fungal growth on magnetic tapes and complications in power circuits. Overwriting disks or tapes by mistakes

Mistakenly disks or tapes which carry necessary data can be replaced by another set of data which causes for data losses for other operations. Overwritten data are difficult to be recovered. Mounting of wrong tape by the operator

By mounting a wrong tape, necessary data for a particular transaction may not exist in the system. That can be a cause for a failure. Media is out of free space

Data storage requirement may exceed the available free space of the storage media. That may hold the functioning of the system or cause for overwrite the existing data in poorly structured systems.

System failures are any undesirable state of the system which causes to stop normal execution of a transaction. This type of failure causes only to loss of data in volatile memory but not in non-volatile memory.
Power failure

Volatile memory can hold data only if the power is exist in the main memory. Even with a small power failure all the data in the volatile memory can be completely deleted. Main memory failure

Generally main memory is the RAM in most computer systems. It is the main volatile memory unit in a computer. It is consist of several electronic items like ICs and transistors. Power management failure and manufacturing faults are the main reasons for main memory failure. Logical error in the software

Logical errors in an application can make system failures. As a simple example infinite loop may fill up the whole RAM and cease the system. Errors in the operating system

Operating system is an intermediate layer between the application software and hardware components. All the application software is functioning on top of an OS. Error in an OS means application software is unable not only to function well but also to communicate well with hardware which causes for a failure. Execution of malicious software

Malicious software like viruses, warms, logic bombs etc. can decrease the performance of the system by over using the computation power in useless way or making even the hardware damages to the system. Network problems

Law performance networks in speed, bandwidth etc. can make lower the performances in a transaction system and increase the time difference between request and response which causes for a system failure.

Transaction failures occur when a transaction is not happened and processing steps are hold at a specific point in the cycle.
Incorrect input

Incorrect input like numeric inputs where only the letters are required; exceeding the possible maximum and minimum values; incorrect username or password etc. can cause to fail a particular transaction. Dead lock

Two or more competing processes are each waiting for other to complete, but neither completes. Assume two processes as P1, P2 and two data units as D1, D2. P1 has already accessed to D1 and P2 has already accessed to D2. But to complete the process P1 need to access D2 also but it is not accessible. P2 also need to access D1 to complete its process but it is not accessible. So, neither one can complete the process. Incorrect synchronization

Unmatched set of tasks taking place at the same time cause for a transaction failure. As an example same data unit is going to be read and written by two tasks at the same time. Inputting invalid special characters

By inputting special characters like star, ampersand etc. unexpected results can be generated which can be a cause to a transaction failure. Stresses the system with too many undo and redo

By stressing a system with too many undo and redo operations concurrent transaction operations may fell into failures. User interruptions during the execution

Users may enter values, press buttons etc. after giving the command to execute an transaction. That may affect to a failure of a transaction. A programmed abort in the transaction

In some occasions there are programmatic implementations to abort a transaction to assure the accuracy and efficiency of a transaction. As an example in money transaction, if the system identifies that there is no enough money to precede further, transaction will be aborted at the middle of the transaction. Time out

If a transaction exceeded the maximum time (based on a successful transaction) difference between a request and a response, system will identify the transaction as erroneous or unresolvable. It causes the transaction to be failed.

Assignment No: 2
2014/01/30

By S.M.U.C Seneviratne-UWU/IIT/10/0038

Course: IIT 411-2 Advanced Database Management System Faculty of Science & Technology Uva Wellassa University

Industrial Information Technology Degree Program Faculty of Science and Technology Uva Wellassa University Sri Lanka