Machine availability at the Large Hardron Collider

One of the most important parameters for a particle accelerator is its uptime, the period of time when it is functioning and available for use. In its second year of operation, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has experienced high machine availability, which is one of the ingredients of its brilliant performance. Some of the reasons for the observed MTBF are presented. The approach of periodic maintenance stops is also discussed. Some considerations on the ideal length of a physics fill are drawn.