"The system"
Automation includes, but is not limited to: the configuration of system parameters and variables during setup, and the management of system parameters and variables during operation
The span of time during which two paired peers maintain connectable IP addresses, and work to establish and maintain a single TCP connection
A system that distributes data over several distinct hardware nodes, but presents itself as a single storage device via an interface, typically a network connection
A form of error correction that allows the reconstruction of data from several distinct pieces by utilising the mathematical properties of linear equations