A Model-Based Safety Analysis of Dependencies Across Abstraction Layers

Christoph Dropmann, Eike Thaden, Mario Trapp, Denis Uecker, Rakshith Amarnath, Leandro Avila da Silva, Peter Munk, Markus Schweizer, Matthias Jung, Rasmus Adler

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Identifying and mitigating possible failure propagation from one safety-critical application to another through common infrastructural components is a challenging task. Examples of such dependencies across software-stack layers (e.g., between application and middleware layer) are common causes and failure propagation scenarios in which a failure of one software component propagates to another software component through shared services and/or common computational resources. To account for this, safety standards demand freedom from interference in order to control failure propagation between mixed-critical software components. Safety analysis is typically focused on one abstraction layer, while robustness tests try to find failure propagation paths across abstraction layers. To this end, this paper presents a model-based failure propagation analysis combining failure propagation within and across abstraction layers. A classification of dependencies in combination with fault trees is used to perform a model-based dependency analysis. In addition, a novel modeling technique for integrating failure propagation aspects resulting from shared services and resources is presented. The analysis was used to carry out an early safety assessment of a real-world automotive redundancy mechanism within an integrated architecture. The results show that the method improved reusability and modularity, and made it easier to estimate failure propagation issues, including possible violations of freedom from interference within an integrated system.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationComputer Safety, Reliability, and Security - 37th International Conference, SAFECOMP 2018, Proceedings
EditorsAmund Skavhaug, Friedemann Bitsch, Barbara Gallina
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages73-87
Number of pages15
ISBN (Print)9783319991290
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes
Event37th International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security, SAFECOMP 2018 - Vasteras, Sweden
Duration: 18 Sep 201821 Sep 2018

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume11093 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference37th International Conference on Computer Safety, Reliability and Security, SAFECOMP 2018
Country/TerritorySweden
CityVasteras
Period18/09/1821/09/18

Keywords

  • Interferences
  • Safety analysis
  • Software and system safety

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A Model-Based Safety Analysis of Dependencies Across Abstraction Layers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this