Dependable Computing Systems

A team of recognized experts leads the way to dependable computing systems With computers and networks pervading every aspect of daily life, there is an ever-growing demand for dependability. In this unique resource, researchers and organizations will find the tools needed to identify and engage state-of-the-art approaches used for the specification, design, and assessment of dependable computer systems. The first part of the book addresses models and paradigms of dependable computing, and the second part deals with enabling technologies and applications. Tough issues in creating dependable computing systems are also tackled, including: * Verification techniques * Model-based evaluation * Adjudication and data fusion * Robust communications primitives * Fault tolerance * Middleware * Grid security * Dependability in IBM mainframes * Embedded software * Real-time systems Each chapter of this contributed work has been authored by a recognized expert. This is an excellent textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science, as well as a must-have reference that will help engineers, programmers, and technologists develop systems that are secure and reliable.

This book analyzes the causes of failures in computing systems, their consequences, as weIl as the existing solutions to manage them. The domain is tackled in a progressive and educational manner with two objectives: 1. The mastering of the basics of dependability domain at system level, that is to say independently ofthe technology used (hardware or software) and of the domain of application. 2. The understanding of the fundamental techniques available to prevent, to remove, to tolerate, and to forecast faults in hardware and software technologies. The first objective leads to the presentation of the general problem, the fault models and degradation mechanisms wh ich are at the origin of the failures, and finally the methods and techniques which permit the faults to be prevented, removed or tolerated. This study concerns logical systems in general, independently of the hardware and software technologies put in place. This knowledge is indispensable for two reasons: • A large part of a product' s development is independent of the technological means (expression of requirements, specification and most of the design stage). Very often, the development team does not possess this basic knowledge; hence, the dependability requirements are considered uniquely during the technological implementation. Such an approach is expensive and inefficient. Indeed, the removal of a preliminary design fault can be very difficult (if possible) if this fault is detected during the product's final testing.

The International Working Conference on Dependable Computing for Critical Applications was the first conference organized by IFIP Working Group 10. 4 "Dependable Computing and Fault Tolerance", in cooperation with the Technical Committee on Fault-Tolerant Computing of the IEEE Computer Society, and the Technical Committee 7 on Systems Reliability, Safety and Security of EWlCS. The rationale for the Working Conference is best expressed by the aims of WG 10. 4: " Increasingly, individuals and organizations are developing or procuring sophisticated computing systems on whose services they need to place great reliance. In differing circumstances, the focus will be on differing properties of such services - e. g. continuity, performance, real-time response, ability to avoid catastrophic failures, prevention of deliberate privacy intrusions. The notion of dependability, defined as that property of a computing system which allows reliance to be justifiably placed on the service it delivers, enables these various concerns to be subsumed within a single conceptual framework. Dependability thus includes as special cases such attributes as reliability, availability, safety, security. The Working Group is aimed at identifying and integrating approaches, methods and techniques for specifying, designing, building, assessing, validating, operating and maintaining computer systems which should exhibit some or all of these attributes. " The concept of WG 10. 4 was formulated during the IFIP Working Conference on Reliable Computing and Fault Tolerance on September 27-29, 1979 in London, England, held in conjunction with the Europ-IFIP 79 Conference. Profs A. Avi~ienis (UCLA, Los Angeles, USA) and A.

Dependable Computing Covering dependability from software and hardware perspectives Dependable Computing: Design and Assessment looks at both the software and hardware aspects of dependability. This book: Provides an in-depth examination of dependability/fault tolerance topics Describes dependability taxonomy, and briefly contrasts classical techniques with their modern counterparts or extensions Walks up the system stack from the hardware logic via operating systems up to software applications with respect to how they are hardened for dependability Describes the use of measurement-based analysis of computing systems Illustrates technology through real-life applications Discusses security attacks and unique dependability requirements for emerging applications, e.g., smart electric power grids and cloud computing Finally, using critical societal applications such as autonomous vehicles, large-scale clouds, and engineering solutions for healthcare, the book illustrates the emerging challenges faced in making artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications dependable and trustworthy. This book is suitable for those studying in the fields of computer engineering and computer science. Professionals who are working within the new reality to ensure dependable computing will find helpful information to support their efforts. With the support of practical case studies and use cases from both academia and real-world deployments, the book provides a journey of developments that include the impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning on this ever-growing field. This book offers a single compendium that spans the myriad areas in which dependability has been applied, providing theoretical concepts and applied knowledge with content that will excite a beginner, and rigor that will satisfy an expert. Accompanying the book is an online repository of problem sets and solutions, as well as slides for instructors, that span the chapters of the book.

Foundations of Dependable Computing: System Implementation, explores the system infrastructure needed to support the various paradigms of Paradigms for Dependable Applications. Approaches to implementing support mechanisms and to incorporating additional appropriate levels of fault detection and fault tolerance at the processor, network, and operating system level are presented. A primary concern at these levels is balancing cost and performance against coverage and overall dependability. As these chapters demonstrate, low overhead, practical solutions are attainable and not necessarily incompatible with performance considerations. The section on innovative compiler support, in particular, demonstrates how the benefits of application specificity may be obtained while reducing hardware cost and run-time overhead. A companion to this volume (published by Kluwer) subtitled Models and Frameworks for Dependable Systems presents two comprehensive frameworks for reasoning about system dependability, thereby establishing a context for understanding the roles played by specific approaches presented in this book's two companion volumes. It then explores the range of models and analysis methods necessary to design, validate and analyze dependable systems. Another companion to this book (published by Kluwer), subtitled Paradigms for Dependable Applications, presents a variety of specific approaches to achieving dependability at the application level. Driven by the higher level fault models of Models and Frameworks for Dependable Systems, and built on the lower level abstractions implemented in a third companion book subtitled System Implementation, these approaches demonstrate how dependability may be tuned to the requirements of an application, the fault environment, and the characteristics of the target platform. Three classes of paradigms are considered: protocol-based paradigms for distributed applications, algorithm-based paradigms for parallel applications, and approaches to exploiting application semantics in embedded real-time control systems.

Foundations of Dependable Computing: Models and Frameworks for Dependable Systems presents two comprehensive frameworks for reasoning about system dependability, thereby establishing a context for understanding the roles played by specific approaches presented in this book's two companion volumes. It then explores the range of models and analysis methods necessary to design, validate and analyze dependable systems. A companion to this book (published by Kluwer), subtitled Paradigms for Dependable Applications, presents a variety of specific approaches to achieving dependability at the application level. Driven by the higher level fault models of Models and Frameworks for Dependable Systems, and built on the lower level abstractions implemented in a third companion book subtitled System Implementation, these approaches demonstrate how dependability may be tuned to the requirements of an application, the fault environment, and the characteristics of the target platform. Three classes of paradigms are considered: protocol-based paradigms for distributed applications, algorithm-based paradigms for parallel applications, and approaches to exploiting application semantics in embedded real-time control systems. Another companion book (published by Kluwer) subtitled System Implementation, explores the system infrastructure needed to support the various paradigms of Paradigms for Dependable Applications. Approaches to implementing support mechanisms and to incorporating additional appropriate levels of fault detection and fault tolerance at the processor, network, and operating system level are presented. A primary concern at these levels is balancing cost and performance against coverage and overall dependability. As these chapters demonstrate, low overhead, practical solutions are attainable and not necessarily incompatible with performance considerations. The section on innovative compiler support, in particular, demonstrates how the benefits of application specificity may be obtained while reducing hardware cost and run-time overhead.