What does the term "failover" mean in server management?

The term "failover" in server management refers to the process of automatically transferring operations to a standby server or system when the primary server experiences a failure or becomes unavailable. This mechanism is crucial for ensuring high availability and reliability in IT environments, particularly for businesses that cannot afford downtime.

In failover scenarios, the secondary server is prepared to take over the workload and processes of the primary server, allowing for continuity of service. This process can be automated, which helps minimize disruption and reduces the need for manual intervention.

Other concepts mentioned, such as switching to a backup network connection or taking a server offline for maintenance, do not encapsulate the essence of failover, which is specifically about transitioning workloads to maintain service availability in the event of a failure. Additionally, increasing server data capacity pertains to storage expansion or resource allocation rather than the failover mechanism itself.