Embedded Software Risk Areas -- Dependability -- Part 1

Series Intro: this is one of a series of posts summarizing the different red flag areas I've encountered in more than a decade of doing design reviews of industry embedded system software projects. You can read more about the study here. If one of these bullets applies to your project, you should consider whether that presents undue risk to project success (whether it does or not depends upon your specific project and goals). The results of this study inspired the chapters in my book.

Here are some of the Dependability red flags (part 1 of 2):

• No or incorrect use of watchdog timers

Watch dog timers are turned off or are serviced in a way that defeats their intended role in the system. For example, a watchdog might be kicked by an interrupt service routine that is triggered by a timer regardless of the status of the rest of the software system. Systems with ineffective watchdog timers may not reset themselves after a software timing fault.

• Insufficient consideration of reliability/availability

There is no defined dependability goal or approach for the system, especially with respect to software. In most cases there is no requirement that specifies what dependability means in the context of the application (e.g., is a crash and fast reboot OK, or is it a catastrophic event for typical customer?). As a result, the degree of dependability is not being actively managed.

• Insufficient consideration of security

There is no statement of requirements and intentional design approach for ensuring adequate security, especially for network-connected devices. The resulting system may be compromised, with unforeseen consequences.

• Insufficient consideration of safety

In some systems that have modest safety considerations, no safety analysis has been done. In systems that are more overtly safety critical (but for which there is no mandated safety certification), the safety approach falls short of recommended practices. The result is exposure to unforeseen legal liability and reputation loss.