Plastic transformations: a method for building dependable distributed applications

Distributed algorithms and the heuristics used by program derivation methods represent a large repository of fundamental knowledge that has been acquired over the years by the distributed computing community. Attempts to make this body of knowledge available to the broader community have been frustrating to say the least. The main thesis of the paper is that plastic transformations (a specialisation of standard program deviation techniques) are a viable mechanism by which distributed computing know-how can impact the practical development of dependability-minded distributed applications. However, to do so, application design must be viewed in a new perspective, more formal in style but intuitive in its application. This paper provides a possible characterisation of the notion of a plastic transformation and discusses ways in which well-established, correct distributed algorithms can be transformed into specific applications. An airport baggage delivery system with distributed control is used for illustration purposes