Chapter 1
Introduction
Abstract The chapter introduces what design principles and application requirements we need to pursue achieving resilient functioning of computer system.
Principle of simplicity, reliability, reconfigurability, scalability, and redundancy are
briefly discussed. Shown that implementation of principles with architecture might
include system software modification as well as redevelopment of basis hardware
blocks—processing area, storage area, and interfacing area of computer system.
Nowadays, computer systems are applied in diverse and important areas such as
banking, military, aviation, intensive health care, industrial control, space exploration, etc. All these areas demand highest possible reliability of functional operation, i.e., availability. Availability is defined as the readiness to provide a correct
service whereas reliability is the continuity of correct service [1].
The methods to increase reliability of a system are either based on increasing the
reliability of individual hardware components or the introduction of fault tolerance
in the overall system design and its basic parts.
For safety-critical systems, i.e., systems whose failure have disastrous consequences and possibly lead to human harm, the two main features such as fault
tolerance (FT) and real-time capability (RT) are always implicitly required and
should be reflected in hardware (HW), software in general, and, in particular,
system software (SSW).
In turn, the design, development, and implementation are mutually dependent
processes to achieve FT and RT and should be implemented taking all possible
hardware and system software resources into consideration.
The design of fault-tolerant systems itself assumes that the required functionality
of the applications is already known at design time, as well as potential faults and
the behavior of faulty elements.
This work presents a conceptual approach to the design of an efficient onboard
real-time system for safety-critical applications with high performance, reliability,
and low power consumption.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
I. Schagaev et al., Software Design for Resilient Computer Systems,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21244-5_1
1
Introduction
Abstract The chapter introduces what design principles and application requirements we need to pursue achieving resilient functioning of computer system.
Principle of simplicity, reliability, reconfigurability, scalability, and redundancy are
briefly discussed. Shown that implementation of principles with architecture might
include system software modification as well as redevelopment of basis hardware
blocks—processing area, storage area, and interfacing area of computer system.
Nowadays, computer systems are applied in diverse and important areas such as
banking, military, aviation, intensive health care, industrial control, space exploration, etc. All these areas demand highest possible reliability of functional operation, i.e., availability. Availability is defined as the readiness to provide a correct
service whereas reliability is the continuity of correct service [1].
The methods to increase reliability of a system are either based on increasing the
reliability of individual hardware components or the introduction of fault tolerance
in the overall system design and its basic parts.
For safety-critical systems, i.e., systems whose failure have disastrous consequences and possibly lead to human harm, the two main features such as fault
tolerance (FT) and real-time capability (RT) are always implicitly required and
should be reflected in hardware (HW), software in general, and, in particular,
system software (SSW).
In turn, the design, development, and implementation are mutually dependent
processes to achieve FT and RT and should be implemented taking all possible
hardware and system software resources into consideration.
The design of fault-tolerant systems itself assumes that the required functionality
of the applications is already known at design time, as well as potential faults and
the behavior of faulty elements.
This work presents a conceptual approach to the design of an efficient onboard
real-time system for safety-critical applications with high performance, reliability,
and low power consumption.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
I. Schagaev et al., Software Design for Resilient Computer Systems,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21244-5_1
1