# Static master/workers This distributed system has a single master node and multiple worker nodes. This configuration is static. This means it is fixed upon initialization and cannot change during runtime. The master node divides work among the worker nodes. After receiving partial results, the master node combines them and updates layer 1. Although the system becomes distributed, it is still fully centralized. Because Orbis Labs control all nodes, the failure of either the master node or all worker nodes shuts down the entire system in this setting. Nevertheless, the system can fully recover from failures of individual worker nodes. The system remains live and operational as long as at least one worker node and master node are running. The system will run a fully distributed database that stores the transaction pool and the rollup. The master node will be the only machine with read-write access to the database, whereas worker nodes will have read-only access. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.orbisprotocol.com/orbis/design-considerations/decentralization/static-master-workers.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.