DEAR-COTS: Distributed Embedded Architectures using Commercial Off-The-Shelf Components

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Latest revision as of 17:49, 3 December 2012

http://dear-cots.di.fc.ul.pt/

• Research Line(s): Timeliness and Adaptation in Dependable Systems (TADS)
• Sponsor: FCT
• Project Number: PRAXIS/P/EEI/14187/1998
• Total award amount: 38.8K Euros
• Coordinator: FCUL
• Partners: FCUL, IST, ISEP, FEUP
• Start Date: Oct. 1999
• Duration: 24 months
• Keywords: Real-Time, Fault-Tolerance, Computer Aided Manufacturing, COTS
• Team at FCUL: 4 researchers, including Paulo Verissimo, Luís Rodrigues, António Casimiro, Pedro Martins

The main purpose of the DEAR-COTS project is the specification of an architecture based on the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, able to support distributed computer controlled systems where safety and timeliness are major requirements.

Aims

The DEAR-COTS project will address two main problems:

1. How to apply the distributed computing technology to the solution of computer controlled problems using commercial off-the-shelf field-buses?
2. How to support inter-working and interconnection of several "field-bus clusters" and the possibility of remotely access these "clusters interface" for supervision and configuration?

Approach and Methods

A structured approach to the first problem needs to address several non-trivial issues, both at the communication and processing levels, such as: the impact of real-time and dependability requirements on the field-bus architecture, distributed fault-tolerant concurrent applications and the real-time support environment.

In order to solve the second problem, the proposal foresees the use of emerging information technologies to cope with heterogeneity issues while providing a dependable user-friendly man-machine interface. This calls for innovative solutions addressing issues such as replica determinism of WWW servers, the use of object oriented technologies, the downloading/uploading within field-bus clusters and ensuring fault-containment between the field-bus and the "open network" domain. The DEAR-COTS proposed architecture will be validated through the development and test of a prototype, which will be integrated in a semi-industrial environment, with stringent safety and timeliness requirements.

Progress and Results

Significant progress has been made during the first project year, namely by defining a suitable DEAR-COTS architecture. Several results have been published and two project workshops have been made. Cooperation among the several teams involved in the project has been carried out with evident success.

Publications

• António Casimiro, Miguel Correia, “Recent Advances on the Timely Computing Base Model”, in Fast Abstract at the International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks, Jan. 2002.

• António Casimiro, Pedro Martins, Paulo Verissimo, Luís Rodrigues, “Measuring Distributed Durations with Stable Errors”, in Proceedings of the 22nd IEEE Real-Time Systems Symposium, London, UK, December 2001, Dec. 2001.

• António Casimiro, Paulo Verissimo, “Using the Timely Computing Base for Dependable QoS Adaptation”, in Proceedings of the 20th IEEE Symposium on Reliable Distributed Systems, New Orleans, USA, October 2001, Oct. 2001.

• Paulo Verissimo, António Casimiro, L. M. Pinho, F. Vasques, Luís Rodrigues, E. Tovar, “Distributed Computer-Controlled Systems: the DEAR-COTS Approach.”, in in Proceedings of the 16th IFAC Workshop on Distributed Computer Control Systems, Sydney, Australia, November 2000., Nov. 2000.

• António Casimiro, Pedro Martins, Paulo Verissimo, “How to Build a Timely Computing Base using Real-Time Linux”, in in Proceedings of the 2000 IEEE International Workshop on Factory Communication Systems, Porto, Portugal, September 2000., Sept. 2000.

• Paulo Verissimo, António Casimiro, C. Fetzer, “The Timely Computing Base: Timely Actions in the Presence of Uncertain Timeliness”, in in Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks, New York, USA, June 2000., Jun. 2000.

• António Casimiro, Paulo Verissimo, “Timing Failure Detection with a Timely Computing Base.”, Missing institution, Tech. Rep., Nov. 1999. Technical Report DI/FCUL TR-99-8, Department of Informatics, University of Lisboa, November 1999

• Paulo Verissimo, António Casimiro, “The Timely Computing Base”, Missing institution, Tech. Rep., May 1999. Technical Report DI/FCUL TR-99-2, Department of Informatics, University of Lisboa, May 1999

• António Casimiro, Paulo Verissimo, “Timing Failure Detection with a Timely Computing Base”, in 3rd European Research Seminar on Advances in Distributed Systems (ERSADS'99), Madeira Island, Portugal, April 23-28, 1999, Apr. 1999.

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