[1] It is usually specifically used to refer to either a distributed database where users store information on a number of nodes, or a computer network in which users store information on a number of peer network nodes.
Some distributed databases expose rich query abilities while others are limited to a key-value store semantics.
[5] As the ability of arbitrary querying is not as important as the availability, designers of distributed data stores have increased the latter at an expense of consistency.
However, this distinction is somewhat blurred in a system such as BitTorrent, where it is possible for the originating node to go offline but the content to continue to be served.
Distributed data stores typically use an error detection and correction technique.