Simulation approach for modeling of dynamic reliability using time dependent acyclic graph (original) (raw)

Performance and Reliability Analysis Using Directed Acyclic Graphs

IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 1987

A graph-based modeling technique has been developed for the stochastic analysis of systems containing concurrency. The basis of the technique is the use of directed acyclic graphs. These graphs represent event-precedence networks where activities may occur serially, probabilistically, or concurrently. When a set of activities occurs concurrently, the condition for the set of activities to complete is that a specified number of the activities must complete. This includes the special cases that one or all of the activities must complete. The cumulative distribution function associated with an activity is assumed to have exponential polynomial form. Further generality is obtained by allowing these distributions to have a mass at the origin and/or at infinity. The distribution function for the time taken to complete the entire graph is computed symbolically in the time parameter t. The technique allows two or more graphs to be combined hierarchically. Applications of the technique to the evaluation of concurrent program execution time and to the reliability analysis of fault-tolerant systems are discussed.

Directed Acyclic Graph Based Reliability Computation of a Network with Imperfect Nodes

2013

In this paper, a heuristic is proposed to find out the reliability of a directed network by using directed acyclic graph. This directed network has imperfect nodes as well as imperfect links. Directed acyclic graph based reliability computation involves three main steps: In the first step, built the reliability function of the given directed network which is the union of all min-paths from source to sink. In the second step, apply a heuristic approach to order the given communication links and nodes of the given directed network. Finally apply Shannon’s decomposition method to compute the reliability of the given directed network. The paper also shows that the reliability obtained by this method is equal to the reliability obtained by applying the classical inclusion-exclusion method on the given directed network.

A concept paper on dynamic reliability via Monte Carlo simulation

Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, 1998

The methodologies employed in the probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) of hazardous engineering systems have reached a high level of maturity. However, a few issues are still worth of further investigation in order to increase the confidence in the results obtained. In this view, in the past 5±10 years, researchers in the field of reliability have proposed a more`dynamic' approach to PSA with the aim of addressing issues concerning the possible mutual interactions between the hardware system states and the plant physical evolution. Nonetheless, some objections have been raised against such a dynamic approach, especially against its practical complexity and the lack of a clear definition of the domain of its applicability. In this paper, an attempt to define more precisely the field of application for a dynamic approach is propounded on the basis of the concept of accident duration. The qualitative discussion is supported with examples of postulated severe accidents in nuclear power plants like those investigated in level-2 PSA. The application of Monte Carlo simulation as a tool capable, in principle, of handling all the features of dynamic PSA is illustrated. Monte Carlo algorithms are illustrated aiming at improving the stochastic part of the analysis and the deterministic integration as well, so as to allow for a considerable reduction in the computation times.

Dependability Modeling and Analysis in Dynamic Systems

2007

Dependability evaluation is an important, often indispensable, step in (critical) systems design and analysis processes. The introduction of control and/or computing systems to automate processes increases the overall system complexity and therefore has an impact in terms of dependability. When a system grows, dynamic effects, not present or manifested before, could arise or become significant in terms of reliability/availability: the system could be affected by common cause failures, the system components could interfere, effects due to load sharing arise and therefore should be considered. Moreover it is of interest to evaluate redundancy and maintenance policies. In those cases it is not possible to recur to notations as reliability block diagrams (RBD), fault trees (FT) or reliability graphs (RG) to represent the system, since the statistical independence assumption is not satisfied. Also more enhanced formalisms as dynamic FT (DFT) could result not adequate to the goal.

Reliability analysis of systems with dynamic dependencies

2008

Recent work performed by several researchers working in the dependability field have shown how the formalism of Bayesian networks can offer several advantages when analyzing safety-critical systems from the reliability point of view [49, 57, 266, 454, 483]. In particular, when the components of such systems exhibit dynamic dependencies, dynamic extensions of BN can provide a useful framework for the above kind of analysis [320, 321, 322, 483].

A graph trace based reliability analysis of electric power systems with time-varying loads and dependent failures

Electric Power Systems Research, 2009

A new approach to the prediction of the reliability of electrical systems is presented. In this approach a graph trace based reliability analysis of electric transmission and/or distribution systems is used. The systems are modeled using containers with iterators, where the iterators manage graph edges and are used to process through the topology of the graph. The analysis provides a means of computationally handling dependent failure rates and cascading failures. The effects of weather, time-varying loads, equipment age, wetness, and dependent failures associated with repaired components are considered. A sequential Monte Carlo simulation is used to evaluate the reliability changes for different system configurations, including distributed generation and transmission lines. Historical weather records and loading are used to update the component failure rates on-the-fly. Simulation results are compared against historical reliability field measurements.

Hybrid Simulation Based Approach for Embedded Systems Reliability Analysis

International Journal of Embedded and Real-Time Communication Systems, 2013

This paper describes a reliability approach based on a coupling of discrete and continuous dynamics simulation of embedded systems. This hybrid simulation is a combination in the same formalism of the discrete simulation of an algorithm allowing the extraction of feared scenarios that lead an embedded system to a critical situation without generating the associated reachability graph in order to avoid the eternal combinative explosion problem, and, the continuous dynamics of the embedded system represented by a Java code. The simulation of discrete and continuous dynamics is coupled in object-oriented stopwatch Petri net models that allow the representation of the suspension and resumption of task execution.

Reliability modelling for some computer systems

Microelectronics Reliability, 1994

This paper investigates two mathematical models based on structural computer systems. There are two types of operating environment in computer namely DOS and UNIX. Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of the computer and it guides the monitor and dumb terminal (DT) according to the sequence of instructions as given by operator.A sensitive volume due to micro-chips,exists in the computer. An electromagnetic interfrence with this sensitive volume changes the operating behaviour of computer. These changes generate the partial and complete failure states.Several cost related reliability measures of the system effectiveness are studied by using the regenerative point technique. software systems and the use of computer to control vital and complicated functions. Several researchers [2,3,4,7] have studied the models related to computer systems and they have analysed the same for reliability and availability only, but not much more. The main aim of present study is to introduce and analyse the computer systems (DOS & UNIX) for reliability more measures. In DOS computer system, there are two compartments drive-C and drive-A. Here it is assumed that drive-C /drive-A may work with reduced efficiency due to minor hardware problem.This state of the system is called partially failed state, from this state it may be attained its original state or it reaches to totally failed state due to major hardware problem.

Reliability models for computer systems: An overview including dataflow graphs

Sadhana, 1987

The reliability of a system is the probability that the system will perform its intended mission under given conditions. This paper provides an overview of the approaches to reliability modelling and identifies their strengths and weaknesses. The models discussed include structure models, simple stochastic models and decomposable stochastic models. Ignoring time-dependence, structure models gi,~e reliability as a function of the topological structure of the sYstem. Simple stochastic models make direct use of the properties of underlying stochastic processes, while decomposable models consider more complex systems and analyse them through subsystems. Petri nets and dataflow graphs facilitate the analysis of complex systems by providing a convenient framework for reliability analysis.

Dynamic reliability block diagrams: Overview of a methodology

2007

Dependability evaluation is an important, often indispensable, step in design and analyze (critical) systems, acquiring importance with the systems complexity growth. When the complexity of a system is high and/or increases, for example automizing or expanding some parts, dynamic effects, not present or manifested before, could arise or become significant in terms of reliability/availability. The system could be affected by common cause failures, the system components could interfere each other or could become inter/sequencedependent, effects due to load sharing arise and therefore should be considered, and so on. Moreover could be interesting to evaluate redundancy and maintenance policies. In those cases it is not possible to recur to notations as reliability block diagrams (RBD), fault trees (FT) or reliability graphs (RG) to represent the system, since the statistical independence assumption is not satisfied. Also more enhanced formalisms as dynamic FT (DFT) could not result adequate to the objective. To overcome those problems we developed a new formalism derived from RBD: the dynamic RBD (DRBD). In this paper we explain how to use the DRBD notation in system modeling and analysis, coming inside a methodology that, starting from the system structure, drives to the overall system availability evaluation following modeling and analysis phases. To do this we use an example drawn from literature, consisting of a multiprocessor distributed computing system. By this we also compare our approach with the DFT one.