Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN)

An ICT-system is called dependable if reliance can justifiably be placed on the services it delivers. It is clear that the increasing societal and business reliance on correct and timely operation of ICT systems asks explicitly for dependable systems. Hence, it is of the utmost importance to be able to design and implement ICT systems such that they are dependable. In the (recent) past, dependability of systems was an explicit design issue primarily for mission-critical systems, like in aeronautics, aerospace and military applications. These days, however, ICT is used as part of an ever-growing variety of applications, which might not be as mission-critical as a space mission, but still that critical that lives are threatened or high costs are incurred in case of malfunctioning ICT. As examples, think of embedded systems (fly-by-wire, drive-by-wire, logistics control, mobile communications) but also e-business systems (online auctions, online-retail, bank and stock-exchange trading systems) and medical systems (e.g. cardio/vascular X-ray machines for interventional radiology).

Despite long-standing efforts to achieve dependable systems for classical mission-critical type of systems, the solutions proposed in that field are not necessarily easy to transfer to the much broader class of ICT systems of today. For one, cost is a major issue. The classical approach to achieve dependable systems often involves very expensive specialized hard- and software, that cannot be applied in the more consumer-oriented markets of today.

There are a number of reasons why systems tend to become more un-dependable.

As a result of these reasons, dependability enhancing techniques will become more and more needed, already to maintain existing levels of acceptable system dependability, let alone, to increase system dependability.