The dependability of a system can be enhanced by structuring it so as to limit the flow of errors, so that faults do not result in failures. This concept applies to both the mechanical and the human components of a computer-based system (see Chapter 1 of this volume). The present chapter looks at the impact of rules (programs and procedures) on dependability. More precisely, we look into the in...

For systems that are suitable to be modelled by continuous Markov chains, dependability analysis is not always straightforward. When such systems are large and complex, it is usually impossible to compute their dependability measures exactly. An alternative solution is to estimate them by simulation, typically by Monte Carlo simulation. But for highly reliable systems standard simulation can no...

The indissoluble bonds of computers and failures have produced a plurality of fault tolerant techniques to satisfy, potentially, any dependability requirement. As a consequence, the development of dependable systems is not based on inventing the mechanism that provides the desired dependability guarantees. Rather, it is based on selecting from the existing techniques the one that best meets the...

this study investigated criteria and themes required for constructing an objective and communicative psycho-motor mechanism scale based on the theory of translation proposed by pacte. qualitative para- digm was employed in relation to the translation tasks and the number of participants (no.11). feedback through semi-structured interview was obtained to find the descriptors in designing the psy...

Security, as an architectural quality, is often thought to be measured in terms of availability, confidentiality and integrity. These qualities are part of a broader quality dependability. There are inherent tradeoffs among the qualities that define security and dependability. Architectural tactics, or architectural design decisions, that enhance one aspect of dependability can decrease securit...

As embedded processors become more powerful, demand for quantity and complexity of real-time embedded function increases. This increase in function is in direct opposition to system dependability requirements, since dependability is harder to achieve in larger or more complex applications. While tradeoffs must be made in designing systems to achieve both these ends, system architectures have th...

The inertness of today’s software systems turns innovative applications into an obstacle rather than an enabler and results in dependability degradation during the systems’ lifetime. Even more so, heterogeneity, scale, and dynamics open up what Laprie called the dependability gap. In this position paper, we identify the need to converge methods from software engineering with traditional middlew...