(1) In
computer science, tight
coupling (or tightly coupled) is a type of
coupling
that describes a
system in which
hardware and
software
are not only linked together, but are also dependant upon each other. In a
tightly coupled system where multiple systems share a workload, the entire
system usually would need to be powered down to fix a major hardware problem,
not just the single system with the issue.
(2) In software the term tight coupling is used to define
software that will work only in one part of a specific type of system and the
software is dependant on other software. For example, an
operating system would be considered
tightly coupled as it depends on software drivers to correctly install and
activate the system's peripheral devices.
Also called heavy coupling.
See also loose coupling,
coupling, and decoupled.
