CSR --- SMA: Reliability Modeling and Evaluation of Fault-Tolerant Hierarchical Computer Systems

由于系统复杂性的不断增加，可靠性建模和分析正成为容错分层计算机系统的设计和调整中越来越重要的组成部分。大量的研究工作已经花费在这一领域，但两个实际问题，模块不完美的覆盖率（MIPC）所造成的不完善的恢复机制和共因故障（CCF）所产生的一个共同的根本原因，一般被遗漏或没有得到充分考虑，在现有的计算机系统可靠性模型。 如果不能准确地对它们中的任何一个进行建模，就会导致系统可靠性过高/过低，这使得可靠性分析在计算机系统的设计和调整中不那么有效。该项目的主要目标是开发新的可靠性模型，充分描述MIPC和CCF，并探索有效的模型评估方法，导致更准确的分析分层计算机系统的可靠性。该项目包括三个阶段：模型开发，模型评估，和一个可靠性分析软件工具的开发，适用于通过这项研究开发的概念和方法。通过这项工作开发的新模型和评估方法是对计算机系统可靠性知识体系的基本贡献。本计画之研究成果将可支援符合MIPC与CCF之可靠性电脑系统之设计。PI将通过研讨会、课堂材料、会议/期刊出版物和项目的互联网网站向学术界和工业界传播信息和知识。

AbstractDue to the ever increasing system complexity, reliability modeling and analysis are becoming increasingly essential components in the design and tuning of fault-tolerant hierarchical computer systems. Tremendous research efforts have been expended in this area, but two practical issues, modular imperfect coverage (MIPC) resulted from imperfect recovery mechanisms and common-cause failures (CCF) arising from a shared root cause, have generally been missed or not been fully considered in existing computer system reliability models. Failure to model either of them accurately results in over/understated system reliability, which makes reliability analysis less effective in the design and tuning of computer systems. The primary goals of this project are to develop novel reliability models for fully describing MIPC and CCF, and to explore efficient model evaluation methods leading to more accurate analysis of hierarchical computer system reliability. This project involves three phases: model development, model evaluation, and the development of a reliability analysis software tool that applies the concepts and methods developed through this research. The new models and evaluation methods developed through this work are fundamental contributions to the body of knowledge on the computer system reliability. Research results from this project will support the design of reliable computer systems subject to MIPC and CCF. The PI will disseminate information and knowledge to the academic community and the industry through seminars, classroom materials, conference/journal publications, and an Internet website for the project.