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to come with 5 years minimum availability

English translation: In military satellites ....

15:51 Sep 11, 2007
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Electronics / Elect Eng
English term or phrase: to come with 5 years minimum availability
context: "XXX servers come with 5 years minimum availability."

What does this guarantee actually means (if it is a guarantee)? Elsewhere in the text I can, to some extent, get the idea that ‘availability’ could also mean sth. like ‘technical usability’, that is, the server is modern enough for peripheral devices that can be expected to enter into use during 5 years time.

The text may have been originally in German, but it is elsewhere quite good English, and so I expect that is an understandable English expression also.
Timo Lehtilä
Finland
Local time: 01:58
Selected answer:In military satellites ....
Explanation:
availability is a very specific term and is used to determine that the asset can be used. That is, if you have to take it offline for maintenance 1 day in 10, then its availability would be 90%. In this context, availability is a ratio of {time on/total time} where time on just means that the system can be used, not that it IS used.

However, without more context, I can see these guys saying that they will stock spare parts and provide service for 5 years, which is a far different thing than what I understand under availability. The fact that it is NOT a ratio here tells me it is more advertising than engineering.

So, we need more context to be sure but my money would be on the second choice.



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Note added at 5 days (2007-09-17 14:15:56 GMT) Post-grading
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WOW, I have never heard such a sentiment expressed as 'availability.' Perhaps, 'designed for the future' but I do not see how they can claim to handle things that may not even have been invented yet.

Maybe 'guaranteed for 5 years' if I had to say something.
Selected response from:

jccantrell
United States
Local time: 15:58
Grading comment
Thanks. Apparently 'availability' here means that, among other things, the server has interfaces enabling connection of peripheral that are expected to appear during 5 years from now on. Is availability a correct word for this? What word would b better?
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +1In military satellites ....
jccantrell


  

Answers


19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
In military satellites ....


Explanation:
availability is a very specific term and is used to determine that the asset can be used. That is, if you have to take it offline for maintenance 1 day in 10, then its availability would be 90%. In this context, availability is a ratio of {time on/total time} where time on just means that the system can be used, not that it IS used.

However, without more context, I can see these guys saying that they will stock spare parts and provide service for 5 years, which is a far different thing than what I understand under availability. The fact that it is NOT a ratio here tells me it is more advertising than engineering.

So, we need more context to be sure but my money would be on the second choice.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 days (2007-09-17 14:15:56 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

WOW, I have never heard such a sentiment expressed as 'availability.' Perhaps, 'designed for the future' but I do not see how they can claim to handle things that may not even have been invented yet.

Maybe 'guaranteed for 5 years' if I had to say something.


    Reference: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=availability...
    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability
jccantrell
United States
Local time: 15:58
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 47
Grading comment
Thanks. Apparently 'availability' here means that, among other things, the server has interfaces enabling connection of peripheral that are expected to appear during 5 years from now on. Is availability a correct word for this? What word would b better?

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ken Cox: Yep -- availability is expressed as a percentage or ratio, so your interpretation is plausible. Maybe the text is a bit of marketing hyperspeak.
15 hrs
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