Software Fault Tolerance Techniques And Implementation

by Laura L Pullum

Overview

A textbook for a graduate course in software engineering or software fault tolerance on techniques to protect against software design faults, and to tolerate the operational effects of these introduced imperfections. After introductory material, it describes design, data, and other techniques and decision mechanisms used with many of the techniques.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580531375
Publisher:	Artech House, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/30/2001
Series:	Artech House Computer Security Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	362
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.81(d)

Table of Contents

	Preface	xi
	Acknowledgments	xiii
1	Introduction	1
1.1	A Few Definitions	3
1.2	Organization and Intended Use	4
1.3	Means to Achieve Dependable Software	6
1.3.1	Fault Avoidance or Prevention	7
1.3.2	Fault Removal	9
1.3.3	Fault/Failure Forecasting	11
1.3.4	Fault Tolerance	12
1.4	Types of Recovery	13
1.4.1	Backward Recovery	14
1.4.2	Forward Recovery	16
1.5	Types of Redundancy for Software Fault Tolerance	18
1.5.1	Software Redundancy	18
1.5.2	Information or Data Redundancy	19
1.5.3	Temporal Redundancy	21
1.6	Summary	21
	References	23
2	Structuring Redundancy for Software Fault Tolerance	25
2.1	Robust Software	27
2.2	Design Diversity	29
2.2.1	Case Studies and Experiments in Design Diversity	31
2.2.2	Levels of Diversity and Fault Tolerance Application	33
2.2.3	Factors Influencing Diversity	34
2.3	Data Diversity	35
2.3.1	Overview of Data Re-expression	37
2.3.2	Output Types and Related Data Re-expression	38
2.3.3	Example Data Re-expression Algorithms	40
2.4	Temporal Diversity	42
2.5	Architectural Structure for Diverse Software	44
2.6	Structure for Development of Diverse Software	44
2.6.1	Xu and Randell Framework	45
2.6.2	Daniels, Kim, and Vouk Framework	51
2.7	Summary	53
	References	53
3	Design Methods, Programming Techniques, and Issues	59
3.1	Problems and Issues	59
3.1.1	Similar Errors and a Lack of Diversity	60
3.1.2	Consistent Comparison Problem	62
3.1.3	Domino Effect	68
3.1.4	Overhead	70
3.2	Programming Techniques	76
3.2.1	Assertions	78
3.2.2	Checkpointing	80
3.2.3	Atomic Actions	84
3.3	Dependable System Development Model and N-Version Software Paradigm	88
3.3.1	Design Considerations	88
3.3.2	Dependable System Development Model	91
3.3.3	Design Paradigm for N-Version Programming	93
3.4	Summary	94
	References	97
4	Design Diverse Software Fault Tolerance Techniques	105
4.1	Recovery Blocks	106
4.1.1	Recovery Block Operation	107
4.1.2	Recovery Block Example	113
4.1.3	Recovery Block Issues and Discussion	115
4.2	N-Version Programming	120
4.2.1	N-Version Programming Operation	121
4.2.2	N-Version Programming Example	125
4.2.3	N-Version Programming Issues and Discussion	127
4.3	Distributed Recovery Blocks	132
4.3.1	Distributed Recovery Block Operation	132
4.3.2	Distributed Recovery Block Example	137
4.3.3	Distributed Recovery Block Issues and Discussion	139
4.4	N Self-Checking Programming	144
4.4.1	N Self-Checking Programming Operation	144
4.4.2	N Self-Checking Programming Example	145
4.4.3	N Self-Checking Programming Issues and Discussion	149
4.5	Consensus Recovery Block	152
4.5.1	Consensus Recovery Block Operation	152
4.5.2	Consensus Recovery Block Example	155
4.5.3	Consensus Recovery Block Issues and Discussion	159
4.6	Acceptance Voting	162
4.6.1	Acceptance Voting Operation	162
4.6.2	Acceptance Voting Example	166
4.6.3	Acceptance Voting Issues and Discussion	169
4.7	Technique Comparisons	172
4.7.1	N-Version Programming and Recovery Block Technique Comparisons	176
4.7.2	Recovery Block and Distributed Recovery Block Technique Comparisons	180
4.7.3	Consensus Recovery Block, Recovery Block Technique, and N-Version Programming Comparisons	181
4.7.4	Acceptance Voting, Consensus Recovery Block, Recovery Block Technique, and N-Version Programming Comparisons	182
	References	183
5	Data Diverse Software Fault Tolerance Techniques	191
5.1	Retry Blocks	192
5.1.1	Retry Block Operation	193
5.1.2	Retry Block Example	202
5.1.3	Retry Block Issues and Discussion	204
5.2	N-Copy Programming	207
5.2.1	N-Copy Programming Operation	208
5.2.2	N-Copy Programming Example	212
5.2.3	N-Copy Programming Issues and Discussion	214
5.3	Two-Pass Adjudicators	218
5.3.1	Two-Pass Adjudicator Operation	218
5.3.2	Two-Pass Adjudicators and Multiple Correct Results	223
5.3.3	Two-Pass Adjudicator Example	227
5.3.4	Two-Pass Adjudicator Issues and Discussion	229
5.4	Summary	232
	References	233
6	Other Software Fault Tolerance Techniques	235
6.1	N-Version Programming Variants	235
6.1.1	N-Version Programming with Tie-Breaker and Acceptance Test Operation	236
6.1.2	N-Version Programming with Tie-Breaker and Acceptance Test Example	241
6.2	Resourceful Systems	244
6.3	Data-Driven Dependability Assurance Scheme	247
6.4	Self-Configuring Optimal Programming	253
6.4.1	Self-Configuring Optimal Programming Operation	253
6.4.2	Self-Configuring Optimal Programming Example	257
6.4.3	Self-Configuring Optimal Programming Issues and Discussion	260
6.5	Other Techniques	262
6.6	Summary	262
	References	265
7	Adjudicating the Results	269
7.1	Voters	270
7.1.1	Exact Majority Voter	273
7.1.2	Median Voter	278
7.1.3	Mean Voter	282
7.1.4	Consensus Voter	289
7.1.5	Comparison Tolerances and the Formal Majority Voter	295
7.1.6	Dynamic Majority and Consensus Voters	303
7.1.7	Summary of Voters Discussed	309
7.1.8	Other Voters	311
7.2	Acceptance Tests	311
7.2.1	Satisfaction of Requirements	314
7.2.2	Accounting Tests	315
7.2.3	Reasonableness Tests	315
7.2.4	Computer Run-Time Tests	318
7.3	Summary	319
	References	320
	List of Acronyms	325
	About the Author	329
	Index	331