Safety and Reliability of Software Based Systems contains papers, presented at the twelfth annual workshop organised by the Centre for Software Reliability. Contributions come from different industries in many countries, and provide discussion and cross-fertilisation of ideas relevant to systems whose safety and/or reliability are of paramount concern. This book discusses safety cases and their varying roles in different industries; using measurement to improve reliability and safety of software-based systems; latest developments in managing, developing and assessing software intensive systems where reliability and/or safety are important considerations; and practical experiences of others in industry.

To make communication and computation secure against catastrophic failure and malicious interference, it is essential to build secure software systems and methods for their development. This book describes the ideas on how to meet these challenges in software engineering.

The role of software has changed from simply generating financial or mechanical data to monitoring and controlling equipment that directly affects human life and safety. As a result, a more thorough understanding and familiarity with the specialized techniques used to achieve and assess the safety and reliability of software is needed in academia, industry, and government. This original text introduces the concepts, techniques, and approaches used to achieve and assess software safety and reliability. Debra Herrmann presents a cross-section of current safety and reliability standards that cross multiple industrial sectors while focusing on the additional required activities to achieve software safety and reliability. In organizing this text, the she has three objectives. The first is to raise the reader's awareness on the importance of software safety and reliability and on its role in mission critical systems by presenting many illustrative, ever day examples. The second objective is to provide practical information about the current methods used to achieve and assess software safety and reliability. The final objective is to improve the understanding and practice of software safety and reliability by consolidating the latest research so that it can be compared and analyzed for the future. The book is written for engineers, scientists, managers, regulators, and policy makers involved in the design, development, acquisition, and certification of safety-critical systems.

The safe operation of computer systems, in both their software and hardware continues to be a key issue in many real time applications, when people, environment, investment or goodwill can be at risk. Such applications include the monitoring and control of high energy processes, of nuclear and chemical plants, of factory automation, of transportation systems, or funds transfer and of communication and information systems. This book represents the proceedings of the 1987 Safety and Reliability Society Symposium held in Altrincham, UK, 11-12 November 1987. It is thus part of the series of proceedings for Society Events, which in previous years have not addressed the topic of the Safety and Reliability of Computer Systems. The book is also part of another series of reports, and is closely related to the Elsevier Book "Safety and Reliability of Programmable Electronic Systems" which I edited in 1986, and the series of workshops known as SAFECOMP held in 1979, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986 which are referenced in some of the papers. The structure of the book represents the structure of the Symposium itself. The session titles, and the papers as selected represent the current practice in many industries. The trend is towards more industrial usage of Formal Methods, and tools to support these methods, whilst continuing to make best use of Software Engineering, Safety and Reliability Assessment, and accumulated experience.

The purpose of this report is to provide a detailed survey of current recommended practices and measurement techniques for the development of reliable and safe software-based systems. This report is intended to assist the United States Nuclear Reaction Regulation (NRR) in determining the importance and maturity of the available techniques and in assessing the relevance of individual standards for application to instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power generating stations. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) provides technical support for the Instrumentation and Control System Branch (ICSB) of NRRin advanced instrumentation and control systems, distributed digital systems, software reliability, and the application of verificafion and validafion for the development of software.

Presents the theory and methodology for reliability assessments of safety-critical functions through examples from a wide range of applications Reliability of Safety-Critical Systems: Theory and Applications provides a comprehensive introduction to reliability assessments of safety-related systems based on electrical, electronic, and programmable electronic (E/E/PE) technology. With a focus on the design and development phases of safety-critical systems, the book presents theory and methods required to document compliance with IEC 61508 and the associated sector-specific standards. Combining theory and practical applications, Reliability of Safety-Critical Systems: Theory and Applications implements key safety-related strategies and methods to meet quantitative safety integrity requirements. In addition, the book details a variety of reliability analysis methods that are needed during all stages of a safety-critical system, beginning with specification and design and advancing to operations, maintenance, and modification control. The key categories of safety life-cycle phases are featured, including strategies for the allocation of reliability performance requirements; assessment methods in relation to design; and reliability quantification in relation to operation and maintenance. Issues and benefits that arise from complex modern technology developments are featured, as well as: Real-world examples from large industry facilities with major accident potential and products owned by the general public such as cars and tools Plentiful worked examples throughout that provide readers with a deeper understanding of the core concepts and aid in the analysis and solution of common issues when assessing all facets of safety-critical systems Approaches that work on a wide scope of applications and can be applied to the analysis of any safety-critical system A brief appendix of probability theory for reference With an emphasis on how safety-critical functions are introduced into systems and facilities to prevent or mitigate the impact of an accident, this book is an excellent guide for professionals, consultants, and operators of safety-critical systems who carry out practical, risk, and reliability assessments of safety-critical systems. Reliability of Safety-Critical Systems: Theory and Applications is also a useful textbook for courses in reliability assessment of safety-critical systems and reliability engineering at the graduate-level, as well as for consulting companies offering short courses in reliability assessment of safety-critical systems.

Computer systems have become an important element of the world economy, with billions of dollars spent each year on development, manufacture, operation, and maintenance. Combining coverage of computer system reliability, safety, usability, and other related topics into a single volume, Computer System Reliability: Safety and Usability eliminates the need to consult many different and diverse sources in the hunt for the information required to design better computer systems. After presenting introductory aspects of computer system reliability such as safety, usability-related facts and figures, terms and definitions, and sources for obtaining useful information on computer system reliability, safety, and usability, the book: Reviews mathematical concepts considered useful to understanding subsequent chapters Presents various introductory aspects of reliability, safety, and usability and computer system reliability basics Covers software reliability assessment and improvement methods Discusses important aspects of software quality and human error and software bugs in computer systems Highlights software safety and Internet reliability Details important aspects of software usability including the need for considering usability during the software development phase, software usability engineering process, software usability inspection methods, software usability test methods, and guidelines for conducting software usability testing Elucidates web usability facts and figures, common design errors, web page design, tools for evaluating web usability, and questions to evaluate website message communication effectiveness Examines important aspects of computer system life cycle costing Written by systems reliability expert B.S. Dhillon, the book is accessible to all levels of readership, making it useful to beginners and seasoned professionals alike. Reflecting practical trends in computer engineering especially in the area of software, Dhillon emphasizes the importance of usability in software systems and expands reliability to web usability and management. It provides methods for designing systems with increased reliability, safety, and usability.