This three-year award will support U.S.-France cooperative research in information systems between Algirdas Avizienis of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Jean-Claude Laprie of the Laboratory for the Automation and Analysis of Systems in Toulouse, France. The objective of their research is to specify, design, implement and evaluate experimentally a distributed fault-tolerant system that incorporates tolerance of all classes of faults. Fault tolerance is the attribute of information processing systems which makes in possible for the system to continue delivering its services correctly regardless of faults that cause errors in information processing. The investigators will study computer fault tolerance with respect to security and privacy violations, unauthorized access, execution of non-specified services, and loss of important services. The U.S. investigator brings to this collaboration considerable expertise in fault-tolerant computing. His group will focus on the tolerance of malicious logic in a system. This is complemented by similar French expertise and the availability of a large network of workstations in France devoted to this effort. They will address the tolerance of intrusion into a system. The project will advance fundamental understanding in fault tolerance and security and could lead to improved, secure systems. These systems are needed and important for the rapidly expanding multimedia and telecommunications markets.
