Stochastic modeling techniques for the dependability analysis of DES

The paper provides an overview of methods and techniques for the modelling and analysis of the dependability of complex systems, with emphasis on DES, trying to identify the new and promising research directions in the field. In particular, two lines are presented and discussed. The first line tries to trade off between modeling power and analytical tractability, by localizing and confining the stochastic dependencies among components. Example in this line are Dynamic Fault Trees and Bayesian Networks. The second line, combines discrete variables and continuous variables into a single hybrid model. Attempts in this direction are hybrid automata and Fluid Petri Nets.