On evaluating the cumulative performance distribution of fault-tolerant computer systems

Fault-tolerant computer systems may be evaluated by calculating their cumulative performance (e.g., number of processes jobs) over a finite mission time. A method for calculating the cumulative performance distribution assuming that the system fault-repair behavior can be modeled by a homogeneous Markov process is described. The method proposed for calculating the probability distribution of the accumulated reward over a finite mission is applicable to models of repairable and nonrepairable systems. The related solution algorithm shows a low polynomial computational complexity. The mathematical model is introduced, and the results already presented in the literature are surveyed. A comprehensive analysis of the time and space complexity of the proposed solution algorithm is presented. A numerical example is given