A novel approach for component-based fault-tolerant software development

With the recent advancements in component-based software engineering, there is an increasing trend in developing applications for highly reliable and critical systems using pre-validated and reusable software components. As these applications are inherently complex and component-interactions are not straightforward, there is an immediate need for a methodology that could aid in composition of these reusable components ensuring the correctness of the composed software system. In this paper, we illustrate how the concepts of category theory can be utilized to develop component-based fault-tolerant software systems that encompass software components capable of tolerating particular types of faults. Our proposed framework for the development of a composite fault-tolerant program and verification of its overall correctness has been realized through a mechanized formal tool. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.