Computing systems dependability

Computer systems provide us with a wide range of services upon which we have come to depend. Many computers are embedded in more complex devices that we use such as automobiles, aircraft, appliances, and medical devices. Others are part of sophisticated systems that provide us with a variety of important facilities such as financial services, telecommunications, transportation systems, and energy production and distribution networks. Engineering systems to be as dependable as we require them to be is a significant challenge and requires a variety of analysis and development techniques. It is important that computer engineers, software engineers, project managers, and users understand the major elements of current technology in the field of dependability, yet this material tends to be unfamiliar to researchers and practitioners alike. Researchers are often concerned in one way or another with some aspect of what is mistakenly called software "reliability". All practitioners are concerned with the "reliability" of the software that they produce but researchers and practitioners tend not to understand fully the broader impact of their work. A lot of research, such as that on testing, is concerned directly with software dependability. Understanding dependability more fully allows researchers to be more effective. Similarly, practitioners can direct their efforts during development more effectively if they have a better understanding of dependability.