Design Diversity: an Update from Research on Reliability
Modelling
"Design Diversity: an Update from Research on Reliability Modelling"
by Bev Littlewood, Peter Popov, Lorenzo Strigini will appear in the
Proc. Safety Critical Systems Symposium 2001, Bristol, UK,
Springer, 2001. The paper abstract
is given below. The full text is available for download as a .pdf
file.
Abstract
Diversity between redundant subsystems is, in various forms, a common design approach
for improving system dependability. Its value in the case of software-based systems
is still controversial. This paper gives an overview of reliability modelling
work we carried out in recent projects on design diversity, presented in the context
of previous knowledge and practice. These results provide additional insight for
decisions in applying diversity and in assessing diverse-redundant systems. A
general observation is that, just as diversity is a very general design approach,
the models of diversity can help conceptual understanding of a range of different
situations. We summarise results in the general modelling of common-mode failure,
in inference from observed failure data, and in decision-making for diversity
in development.
Page maintained by: Peter Popov
Last modified: 30 January 2001