Abstract
Software Implemented Fault Injection (SWIFI) is a well-established technique for fault injection, but with a significant drawback for Real-Time Systems: intrusiveness, also known as “probe effect”. In fact, for most fault models, additional code has to be run on the same processor that executes the application. The danger lies in some deadlines being missed as a consequence of that overhead.
This paper identifies the sources of intrusiveness, and discusses the procedures to measure it. The question of what level of intrusiveness can be considered acceptable is also addressed.
A Pentium version of an existing SWIFI tool (Xception), developed with no real-time considerations in mind, was tested on a system composed by off-the-shelf (COTS) components (a standard PC with a Pentium processor and a commercial real-time multitasking kernel). Data collected using this platform shows that the intrusiveness can be quite significant.
A technique called “Routine Specialization” is proposed to lower that overhead. Results obtained from a “real-time-oriented” injector (RT-Xception) taken from the same system, show a very significant improvement. A comparison with data from other authors shows that with this change SWIFI becomes a viable technique for a wide range of real-time applications.
This work was partially supported by the portuguese Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia and the European Union through the R&D Unit 326/94 (CISUC) and the project PBIC/C/TIT/2450/95 (SAFIRA II)
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Carreira, J., Madeira, H., Silva, J.G.: Xception: A Technique for the Experimental Evaluation of Dependability in Modern Computers. IEEE Trans. on Software Engineering, February (1998) 125–135
Chillarege, R., Bowen, N. S.: Understanding Large System Failures: A Fault Injection Experiment. FTCS-19, Chicago-IL (1989)
Choi, G., Iyer, R. K.: FOCUS: An experimental Environment for Fault Sensitivity Analysis. IEEE Trans. on Computers, vol. 41 (1992) 1515–1526
Czeck, E.: Estimates of the Abilities of Software-Implemented Fault-Injection to Represent Gate-Level Faults: IEEE Int’l Workshop on Fault and Error Injection for Dependability Validation of Computer Systems, Gothenburg-Sweden (1993)
Echtle, K., Leu, M.: The EFA Fault Injector for Fault-Tolerant Distributed System Testing. Workshop on Fault-Tolerant Parallel and Distributed Systems (1992)
Fuchs, E.: An Evaluation of the Error Detection Mechanisms in MARS using Software-Implemented Fault Injection. EDCC-2, Taormina-Italy (1996)
Gait, J.: Probe Effect. IEEE Trans. on Parallel and Distributed Systems (1992)
Han, S., Rosenberg, H. A., Shin, K. G.: DOCTOR: an Integrated Software Fault Injection Environment. IEEE Int’l Workshop on Integrating Error Models with Fault Injection, Annapolis-Maryland-USA (1994)
Hsueh, M.-C., Tsai, T. K., Iyer, R. K.: Fault Injection Techniques and Tools. IEEE Computer, April (1994) 75–82
Jenn, E., Arlat, J., Rimén, M., Ohlsson, J., Karlsson, J.: Fault Injection into VHDL Models: The MEFISTO Tool. FTCS-24, Austin-Texas-USA (1994)
Kanawati, G.A., Kanawati, N.A., Abraham, J. A.: FERRARI: A Flexible Software-Based Fault and Error Injection System. IEEE Trans. on Computers, vol. 44 (1995) 248–260
Kao, W., Iyer, R. K., Tang, D.: FINE: A fault Injection and Monitoring Environment for Tracing the UNIX System Behavior under Faults. IEEE Trans. on Software Engineering, vol. 19 (1993) 1105–1118
Kao, W., Iyer, R. K., Tang, D.: DEFINE: A Distributed Fault Injection and Monitoring Environment. Workshop on Fault-Tolerant Parallel and Distributed Systems (1994)
Laprie, J.C.: Dependability: Basic Concepts and Terminology. Springer-Verlag (1991)
Lovric, T.: Processor Fault Simulation with ProFI. European Simulation Symposium (1995) 353–357
Muller, G., Marlet, R., Volanski, E. N., Consel, C., PU, C., Goel, A.: Fast, Optimized SUN RPC Using Automatic Program Specialization. 18th International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems, Amsterdam-The Netherlands, May (1998)
Powell, D, Veríssimo, P. Bonn, G., Waeselynck, F., Seaton., D.: The Delta-4 Approach to Dependability in Open Distributed Computing Systems. FTCS-18, Tokyo (1988)
Rimen, M., Ohlsson, J., Torin, J.: On Microprocessor Error Behaviour Modelling. FTCS-24, Austin-Texas (1994)
Rosenberg, H.A., Shin, K.G.: Software Fault Injection and its Application in Distributed Systems. FTCS-23, Toulouse (1993)
SMX® Simple Multitasking Executive, http://www.smxinfo.com
Segall, Z., Vrsalovic, D., Siewiorek, D., Yaskin, D., Kownacki, J., Barton, J., Dancey, R., Robinson, A., Lin, T: FIAT: Fault Injection Based Automated Testing Environment. FTCS-18, Tokyo (1988)
Silva, J.G., Prata, P., Rela, M., Madeira, H.: Practical Issues in the Use of ABFT and a New Failure Model. FTCS-28, Munich-Germany (1998)
Timmerman, M.: Is Windows CE 2.0 a real threat to the RTOS World?. Real-Time Magazine, vol. 98-3 (1998)
Tsai, T.K., Iyer, R.K., Jewitt, D.: An Approach towards Benchmarking of Fault-Tolerant Commercial Systems. FTCS-26, Sendai-Japan (1996)
Young, L.T.: A Hybrid Monitor Assisted Fault Injection Environment, DCCA-3, Sicily-Italy (1993)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Cunha, J.C., Rela, M.Z., Silva, J.G. (1999). Can Software Implemented Fault-Injection be Used on Real-Time Systems?. In: Hlavička, J., Maehle, E., Pataricza, A. (eds) Dependable Computing — EDCC-3. EDCC 1999. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1667. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48254-7_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48254-7_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-66483-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48254-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive