Abstract
Redundant or fault tolerant computer-based systems provide several challenges to reliability analysis and probabilistic risk assessment. Computer systems which are designed to achieve high reliability frequently employ high levels of redundancy, dynamic redundancy management and complex fault and error recovery techniques. It is precisely this flexibility and adaptability inherent in fault tolerant computer systems that makes analysis problematic. In this tutorial, Dynamic Fault Tree (DFT) modeling techniques for handling these difficulties are described. In this tutorial we introduce the DFT approach and apply the special gates to the analysis of several example systems. Subsequent sections discuss fault coverage and its impact on reliability analysis. After completing this course you should be able to develop an understanding of: The DFT approach with an emphasis on applying the special gates to the analysis of several example systems; Fault coverage and its impact on reliability analysis.

Educational Course Subject Areas
Computer Engineering ,  Networking ,  Software ,  Reliability

Keywords
cold spare ,  combinatorial model ,  coverage ,  dynamic fault tree ,  fault tolerance ,  fault tree ,  functional dependence ,  hot spare ,  Markov chain / model ,  permanent fault ,  sequence dependency ,  transient fault ,  warm spare