An experiment with adaptive fault tolerance in highly-constrained systems

Highly resource-constrained dependable real-time systems have a very limited number of resources which have to be managed dynamically throughout their lives. These systems also require self-contained fault tolerance capabilities while operating under dynamic environments. Varying environmental conditions, a dynamic application profile and severe constraints in resource availability necessitates a flexible and adjustable resource allocation and fault management strategy. In other words, the fault tolerance mechanism must be able to adapt itself to changes in both available resources and environmental conditions. A fault-tolerance mechanism that possesses such a characteristics is known as an adaptive fault tolerance mechanism. This paper reports an experimental investigation effort for application of adaptive fault tolerance for autonomous spacecraft.