Middleware Mechanisms for Dependable Network Services in a Distributed Processing System

This paper addresses the problem of providing customized real-time dependable communication services for distributed and delay-sensitive applications. This goal is achieved through combination of various complementary dependability means on a dedicated middleware platform. The proposed architecture is that of a real-time groupware system which enables meeting of dependability requirements through replication. The communication infrastructure is implemented with real time dependable channels. A dependable communication protocol provides both stable throughput and fast delivery of multicast messages even in the presence of frequent node and link failures. The advantages of the proposed solution are sustained by test results of a parallel processing image application.