Dependable Systems - Review — Go Math Science

Importance of Software Dependability

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Software dependability is a critical quality attribute across modern sociotechnical systems. Which of the following are primary reasons why software dependability is essential in sociotechnical systems?

Dependable systems foster user trust and prevent severe disruption to business and societal infrastructure.

System failures can lead to severe economic losses, physical equipment damage, or loss of life.

Dependable software automatically eliminates the need for hardware replacement and server maintenance.

Sociotechnical systems rely heavily on software across all operational and organizational layers.

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Cyber Attack Resilience in Critical Systems

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Cyber attacks target vulnerabilities in software to disrupt operations or corrupt critical data. Why is resilience to cyber attacks a fundamental dimension of overall system dependability in critical infrastructure, such as a smart power grid or nuclear protection system?

Because cyber attacks only affect application UI displays without impacting core business processes.

Because cyber security resilience eliminates the need for hardware redundancy and diverse backup servers.

Because a compromised system can be manipulated to cause catastrophic physical failure or breach confidential citizen data.

Because external attacks ripple beyond software to disrupt human operations and physical system safety.

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Systems as Sociotechnical Entities

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The Denver Airport baggage system failure and the radar image ghosting scenario demonstrate that software operates within a broader system stack. Why must dependable systems be analyzed as sociotechnical systems rather than isolated software components?

Because physical equipment limits and human operational procedures are frequently passed down to software engineers to fix.

Because software failures ripple into physical equipment and human environments, and operational or social changes directly force software modifications.

Because software components never fail due to human or organizational factors.

Because software is completely independent of social regulations and organizational procedures.

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Automation Limits in Government Functions

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Government functions such as judicial sentencing and complex healthcare resource allocation are supported by sociotechnical systems. Why are these complex functions unlikely to be completely automated by software in the foreseeable future?

Regulators prohibit the use of any software databases in municipal or state government offices.

Modern computers lack the processing speed required to execute legal or medical database queries.

They require nuanced human judgment, ethical reasoning, and discretion that cannot be captured in deterministic algorithms.

Sociotechnical environments involve complex, evolving social laws and unquantifiable human factors.

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Distinguishing Redundancy and Diversity

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Redundancy and diversity are core strategies used to enhance system dependability. Which statement correctly distinguishes between these two concepts?

Redundancy removes checking code, whereas diversity adds extra physical locks.

Redundancy means using different programming languages, while diversity means making exact duplicate copies of code.

Redundancy refers strictly to physical hardware, while diversity applies only to natural language specifications.

Redundancy provides spare capacity or extra components, whereas diversity ensures those redundant components are of different types to prevent shared failure modes.

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Rationale for Dependable Processes

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Organizations invest significantly in repeatable and explicitly defined software development processes. Why is it reasonable to assume that using a dependable process leads to dependable software?

A well-structured process incorporates standardized error-avoidance, fault-detection, and quality checks that reduce execution defects.

Dependable processes ensure that development standards and verification checks are consistently applied across project teams.

A dependable process guarantees that software code will never require maintenance after deployment.

Regulators provide financial grants that cover all software development costs if a process is documented.

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Diverse and Redundant Process Activities

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Dependable software processes achieve high reliability by incorporating complementary verification activities aimed at the same goal. Which pairs of activities represent diverse, redundant verification techniques?

Combining formal requirements reviews with dynamic system testing.

Combining automated static code analysis with manual program inspections.

Having the exact same programmer review their own code twice using the same checklist.

Replacing all testing activities with informal sprint demos.

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Common-Mode Failures in Software Diversity

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Even when different teams independently develop separate software versions to achieve diversity, the versions may still fail in a similar way (common-mode failure). What are two main reasons for this occurrence?

Using different operating systems on redundant server hardware.

Applying static analysis tools during code build phases.

Shared misunderstandings or ambiguities in the original natural language specification.

Common programmer biases, logical fallacies, or standard algorithm choices shared across engineers.

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Case for Formal Methods in Safety-Critical Systems

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When proposing formal methods for a small, safety-critical train control system, engineering managers are often skeptical about cost and complexity. Which of the following arguments support using formal methods in this project?

Formal specifications use precise mathematical semantics that eliminate requirement ambiguity and uncover subtle specification errors early.

Formal mathematical models generate vital documentation that forms a compelling safety case for regulatory certification.

Refinement-based development (such as the B method) can generate provably correct code, reducing or eliminating component testing costs.

Formal methods completely eliminate the need for domain experts and software managers.

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Impact of Regulation on Innovation

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It is often debated whether strict industry regulation inhibits software innovation and forces the use of older, conservative development methods. Which statements reflect the trade-offs regarding regulatory standards in critical systems?

Regulators prioritize proven safety and dependability over unproven innovation to protect public safety.

Regulatory bodies completely prevent software engineers from proposing new process improvements.

Prescribing specific older methods can slow the adoption of beneficial modern techniques like modified agile processes or automated model-checking.

Regulation ensures that companies cannot cut costs by sacrificing product safety standards in competitive markets.

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Importance of Software Dependability

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Cyber Attack Resilience in Critical Systems

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Systems as Sociotechnical Entities

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Automation Limits in Government Functions

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Distinguishing Redundancy and Diversity

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Rationale for Dependable Processes

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Diverse and Redundant Process Activities

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Common-Mode Failures in Software Diversity

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Case for Formal Methods in Safety-Critical Systems

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Impact of Regulation on Innovation

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