Course content

The course gives a broad introduction to the design and quantitative evaluation of dependability in systems based on information and communication technologies. The following issues are covered:
* Dependability attributes: availability, reliability, safety, QoS;
* The failure process, failure semantics, fault handling and maintenance;
* Methods for dependability modelling and analysis, with emphasis on block diagrams and state diagrams (Discrete state continuous time Markov models);
* Fault tolerance, types of redundancy, design principles and mechanisms, the properties of designs;
* Prediction of hardware failure rates;
* Modelling of software failure, prediction of software failure rates, impact of software failures on systems behaviour;
* Survivability of networks, dependability evaluation of networks taking the traffic carrying (QoS) requirements into account.

Learning outcome

The students should get the ability to design and manage systems, based on information and communication technologies (ICT), to meet availability, reliability and safety requirements. Furthermore, they should be able to quantitatively evaluate systems with respect to these properties. They should get a firm conceptual basis, insight into fault tolerant design, dependability modelling and analysis, as well as important dependability aspects of hardware, software and networks.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures. Exercises in modelling and evaluation. As a part of the course, small groups of students will carry out a laboratory project, where the students will study how to provide, as well as implement, a fault tolerant service in a distributed system. If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form may be changed from written to oral.

Compulsory assignments

• Laboratory project/exercise

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic knowledge in ICT systems design. Basic knowledge in probability, Markov modelling and analysis, e.g. as covered by the course "TTM4110 Dependability and Performance with Discrete Event Simulation". Programming for lab. work.

Course materials

The material listed below is subject to change:
Bjarne E. Helvik, "An Introduction to the Design and Evaluation of Dependable Computing Systems and Communication Networks", Lecture notes published by TAPIR. Journal paper(s). Supplementary material for the laboratory project. Mathematica introductions and notebooks for dependability evaluation.

Credit reductions