Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) is a measure of the reliability of a hardware product, component or system. MTBF is largely based on assumptions and the definition of failure and attention to these details is important for proper interpretation. For complex, repairable systems, failures are considered to be those conditions which place the device or system out of service and into a state for repair. Failures that can be left in an unrepaired condition, and do not place the device or system out of service, are not considered failures under this definition. In addition, units that are taken down for routine scheduled maintenance or inventory control are not considered within the definition of failure. Read more
