Field-replaceable unit: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:27, 12 August 2019

Latest revision as of 09:37, 20 March 2025

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[[File:Alps Electric DFR883F02A-2647.jpg|thumb|3.5" [[Floppy disk|Floppy disk drive]] by [[Alps Electric]] with FRU number]]

A '''field-replaceable unit''' ('''FRU''')<ref name=Newton16p364/> is a [[printed circuit board]], part, or assembly that can be quickly and easily removed from a [[computer]] or other piece of electronic equipment, and replaced by the user or a technician without having to send the entire product or system to a repair facility. FRUs allow a technician lacking in-depth product knowledge to [[fault detection and isolation|isolate faults]] and replace faulty components. The granularity of FRUs in a system impacts [[total cost of ownership]] and support, including the costs of stocking [[spare part]]s, where spares are deployed to meet repair time goals, how diagnostic tools are designed and implemented, levels of training for field personnel, whether end-users can do their own FRU replacement, etc.

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==History==

Many [[vacuum tube]] computers had FRUs:

*[[ Pluggable unit]]sunits containing one or more [[vacuum tube]]s and various [[passive component]]s

Most [[transistor]]ized and [[integrated circuit]]-based computers had FRUs:

* [[Computer module]]s, circuit boards containing discrete transistors and various passive components. Examples:

** [[IBM Standard Modular System|IBM SMS cards]]

** [[System Building Blocks|DEC System Building Blocks]] cards

** [[Flip -Chip (PDP module)|DEC Flip-Chip]] cards

* Circuit boards containing monolithic ICs and/or [[hybrid integrated circuit|hybrid ICs]], such as [[IBM Solid Logic Technology|IBM SLT cards]].

Vacuum tubes themselves are usually FRUs.

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==Trends==

As the sophistication and complexity of multi-replaceable unit electronics in both commercial and consumer industries have increased, many design and manufacturing organizations have expanded the use of the FRU storage device.{{definition needed|date=August 2019}}. Storage is no longer limited to simply identification of the FRU itself, but now also comprises back-up copies of critical system information such as system serial numbers, MAC address and even security information. Some systems will fail to function at all without each FRU in the system being ratified at start-up. Today one cannot assume that the FRU storage device is only used to maintain the FRU ID of the part.

==See also==

* [[Shop-replaceable unit]]

* [[Line-replaceable unit]]

==Notes==