Development And Analysis Of The Software Implemented Fault Tolerance Sift Computer

This book addresses the question of how system software should be designed to account for faults, and which fault tolerance features it should provide for highest reliability. The authors first show how the system software interacts with the hardware to tolerate faults. They analyze and further develop the theory of fault tolerance to understand the different ways to increase the reliability of a system, with special attention on the role of system software in this process. They further develop the general algorithm of fault tolerance (GAFT) with its three main processes: hardware checking, preparation for recovery, and the recovery procedure. For each of the three processes, they analyze the requirements and properties theoretically and give possible implementation scenarios and system software support required. Based on the theoretical results, the authors derive an Oberon-based programming language with direct support of the three processes of GAFT. In the last part of this book, they introduce a simulator, using it as a proof of concept implementation of a novel fault tolerant processor architecture (ERRIC) and its newly developed runtime system feature-wise and performance-wise. The content applies to industries such as military, aviation, intensive health care, industrial control, space exploration, etc.

This innovative resource provides the most-comprehensive coverage of software fault tolerance techniques as it guides professionals through their design, operation and performance. It features an in-depth discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of specific techniques, so practitioners can decide which ones are best suited for their work.

Software patterns have revolutionized the way developer’s and architects think about how software is designed, built and documented. This new title in Wiley’s prestigious Series in Software Design Patterns presents proven techniques to achieve patterns for fault tolerant software. This is a key reference for experts seeking to select a technique appropriate for a given system. Readers are guided from concepts and terminology, through common principles and methods, to advanced techniques and practices in the development of software systems. References will provide access points to the key literature, including descriptions of exemplar applications of each technique. Organized into a collection of software techniques, specific techniques can be easily found with sufficient detail to allow appropriate choices for the system being designed.

This book presents the theory behind software-implemented hardware fault tolerance, as well as the practical aspects needed to put it to work on real examples. By evaluating accurately the advantages and disadvantages of the already available approaches, the book provides a guide to developers willing to adopt software-implemented hardware fault tolerance in their applications. Moreover, the book identifies open issues for researchers willing to improve the already available techniques.

The production of a new version of any book is a daunting task, as many authors will recognise. In the field of computer science, the task is made even more daunting by the speed with which the subject and its supporting technology move forward. Since the publication of the first edition of this book in 1981 much research has been conducted, and many papers have been written, on the subject of fault tolerance. Our aim then was to present for the first time the principles of fault tolerance together with current practice to illustrate those principles. We believe that the principles have (so far) stood the test of time and are as appropriate today as they were in 1981. Much work on the practical applications of fault tolerance has been undertaken, and techniques have been developed for ever more complex situations, such as those required for distributed systems. Nevertheless, the basic principles remain the same.

For the editors of this book, as well as for many other researchers in the area of fault-tolerant computing, Dr. William Caswell Carter is one of the key figures in the formation and development of this important field. We felt that the IFIP Working Group 10.4 at Baden, Austria, in June 1986, which coincided with an important step in Bill's career, was an appropriate occasion to honor Bill's contributions and achievements by organizing a one day "Symposium on the Evolution of Fault-Tolerant Computing" in the honor of William C. Carter. The Symposium, held on June 30, 1986, brought together a group of eminent scientists from all over the world to discuss the evolu tion, the state of the art, and the future perspectives of the field of fault-tolerant computing. Historic developments in academia and industry were presented by individuals who themselves have actively been involved in bringing them about. The Symposium proved to be a unique historic event and these Proceedings, which contain the final versions of the papers presented at Baden, are an authentic reference document.