This paper presents a new approach to processor fault injection, the FEST technique (Fault Effect Simulation by Tracing). It is based on the simulation of fault effects on the processors programming interface using the trace-mode of a processor. In contrast to other approaches that are based on fault simulation, it only simulates the processor instructions that are affected by the fault. The unaffected instructions are directly executed on a real processor. The technique retaines the original memory-image of the application software. FEST allows us to control the system state during the whole experiment efficiently. New implementation techniques, which are presented in the paper, permit the easy and realistic simulation of many processor internal permament and transient faults covering the whole processor. The technique is implemented for the Motorola 68000 CISC processor in the ProFI Tool (Processor Fault Injection) which builds a flexible framework for large fault injection experiments for the evaluation of fault detection coverages of dependable systems.
Tomislav Lovric is PhD student at the University of Dortmund UniDo, Germany. Since 1992 he is working as a research assistant in the fault-tolerance group of Prof. Klaus Echtle. He obtained the diploma degree in computer science from UniDo in 1991. Currently his work is funded by the DFG (german research association) project "Software diversity for hardware fault detection". His research interests include fault injection, software design diversity, forced and systematic diversity, safty critical systems and check#sum techniques. He is member of the IEEE Computer society.
Universitaet Dortmund
Fachbereich Informatik, LS IV, Fehlertoleranz ___UNI DO
44221 Dortmund, Germany
e-mail: lovric@ls4.informatik.uni-dortmund.de
Tel.: (+49) 0231/755-4733
Fax : (+49) 0231/755-4730
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