Evaluating the Hazardous Failure Rate of majority voting computer architectures by means of Bayesian Network models

• Safety-critical control systems are usually based on majority voters. In order to assess the compliance of these architectures with international safety standards, the probability of the occurrence of unsafe events should be evaluated by developing and analyzing proper formal models. In this paper we demonstrate that a Bayesian Network (BN) model can be used to evaluate the Mean Time Between Hazardous Events (MTBHE) of voting architectures. The proposed modeling approach is applied to a "2 out of 2" ("2002") voter consisting of independent computing units. The results obtained from the analysis of the BN model of the "2002" voter can be easily extended to evaluate the hazardous failure rate of more complex voting architectures (e.g. Triple Modular Redundant architectures, based on a 2003 voting). Within this context, BNs have several advantages over other traditional approaches (e.g. Petri Nets or Markov Chains): the model can be directly derived from the analysis of the flow-chart describing the dynamic of hazardous failures and its evaluation is much more efficient, as BN solving algorithms are non state-based; moreover, sensitivity analyses can be automatically performed by using the available user friendly BN tools . Finally, the proposed BN model is quite general and can be easily adapted and/or extended to suit specific computing architectures and fault models. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Inbäddad systemteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Embedded Systems (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Architecture

Bayesian networks

Computer architecture

Computer networks

Computer science

Computer systems

Control systems

Distributed parameter networks

Failure analysis

Graph theory

Inference engines

Intelligent networks

Marine biology

Markov processes

Modal analysis

Petri nets

Regulatory compliance

Reliability

Sensitivity analysis

Speech analysis

Standardization

Bayesian Network models

Computing architectures

Computing units

Critical control systems

Failure rates

Fault models

Formal models

Hazardous events

International safety standards

Its evaluations

Majority voters

Majority voting

Markov chains

Modeling approaches

Triple modular redundant

User friendly

Quality assurance

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