Meaning – The term field replaceable unit or FRU is an assembly that is replaced in its entirety when any one component fails. In some cases, a field-replaceable unit may contain other field replaceable units.
It is generally a printed circuit board or an assembly, that can be quickly removed or replaced within a computer or other electronic equipment and replaced by the user or a technician without having to send the entire product or system to a repair facility. FRUs allow a technician lacking in-depth product knowledge to isolate faults and replace faulty components.
Example of usage – “He was glad that he had some field replacement units available for his computer, as he did not have the technical skills to perform an in-depth repair and there were no service centers nearby.”