N-1 is a term often used in various fields, including mathematics and computer science, to denote a value that is one less than a given number, N. For example, if N is 5, then N-1 would be 4. This concept is frequently applied in algorithms and programming to manage indexing, loops, and data structures. In the context of networking, N-1 can refer to a redundancy model where one less than the total number of components is used to ensure reliability. For instance, in a system with N servers, having N-1 servers operational can maintain service continuity even if one server fails.