What Does Netsplit Mean?
Netsplit is a computer networking term that refers to the act of disconnecting a node from its previous connection. This phenomenon is represented specifically in Internet relay chat (IRC).
Techopedia Explains Netsplit
The easiest way to describe netsplit is by looking at an example of IRC servers and clients. Consider an example in which four servers (A, B, C and D) are connected with each others. Server A has a single user, John; Server B has a user named Sam; Server C has a connected user that is named Smith; Server D has a user named Sohail. At the start, each user is connected to his or her respected server and all these servers are running IRC front-end applications and are connected with the others.
Suddenly, Server A disconnects and John is notified that Sohail, Smith and Sam are disconnected. In reality, this is not exactly the case. In fact, it is John who is disconnected, while the other three users are still connected to their servers.