(RAS) Three key attributes of a COMputing system design. See reliability, availability, and serviceability. The term "RAS" is fairly COMmon in the COMputing industry (particularly COMputers and storage) as COMputing beCOMes more fundamental. For example, a vehicle may depend on dozens of COMputers, and the consequences of the failure can be significant (e.g., an ambulance' s engine won' t start). (2000-08-13)