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An evaluation of the error detection mechanisms in MARS using software-implemented fault injection

  • Session 2 Fault Injection
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Dependable Computing — EDCC-2 (EDCC 1996)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1150))

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Abstract

The concept of fail-silent nodes greatly simplifies the design and safety proof of highly dependable fault-tolerant computer systems. The MAintainable Real-Time System (MARS) is a computer system where the hardware, operating system, and application level error detection mechanisms are designed to ensure the fail silence of nodes with a high probability.

The goal of this paper is two-fold: First, the error detection capabilities of the different mechanisms are evaluated in software-implemented fault injection experiments using the well-known bit-flip fault model. The results show that a fail silence coverage of at least 85% is achievable by the combination of hardware and system level software error detection mechanisms. With the additional use of application level error detection mechanisms a fail silence coverage of 100% was achieved.

Second, the limits of the application level error detection mechanisms are evaluated. In these experiments, the fault model consists of highly improbable residual faults to deliberately force the occurrence of fail silence violations. Despite this worst-case scenario, more than 50% of the presumed undetectable errors were detected by other mechanisms and hence did not lead to fail silence violations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Daimler-Benz AG, Research and Technology, Berlin in cooperation with Institut für Technische Informatik, Technische Universität Wien, Austria

    Emmerich Fuchs

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  1. Emmerich Fuchs
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Editor information

Andrzej Hlawiczka João Gabriel Silva Luca Simoncini

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Fuchs, E. (1996). An evaluation of the error detection mechanisms in MARS using software-implemented fault injection. In: Hlawiczka, A., Silva, J.G., Simoncini, L. (eds) Dependable Computing — EDCC-2. EDCC 1996. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1150. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-61772-8_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-61772-8_31

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-61772-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-70677-9

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