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Computer Systems for Process Control pp 33–67Cite as

Challenges and Directions in Fault-Tolerant Computing

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Abstract

Two decades of theoretical and experimental work and numerous recent successful applications have established fault tolerance as a standard objective in computer system design. As with the objective of correctness, and in contrast to the objective of high speed, satisfaction of fault-tolerance requirements cannot be demonstrated by testing alone, but requires formal analysis. Most of the work in fault tolerance has been concerned with developing effective design techniques. Recent work on reliability modeling and formal proof of fault-tolerant design and implementation is laying a foundation for a more rigorous design discipline. The scope of concerns has also expanded to include any source of computer unreliability, such as design mistakes in software, hardware, or at any system level.

Current art is barely able to keep up with the rapid pace of computer technology, the stresses of new applications and the new expansion in scope of concerns. Particular challenges lie in coping with the imperfections of the ultrasmall, i.e., high-density VLSI, and the ultralarge, i.e., large software systems. It is clear that fault tolerance cannot be “added” to a design and must be integrated with other design objectives. Simultaneous demands in future systems for high performance, high security, high evolvability and high fault tolerance will require new theoretical models of computer systems and a much closer integration of practical design techniques.

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  1. SRI International, Menlo Park, California, USA

    J. Goldberg

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    Reinhold Güth

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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York

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Goldberg, J. (1986). Challenges and Directions in Fault-Tolerant Computing. In: Güth, R. (eds) Computer Systems for Process Control. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2237-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2237-5_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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