Any complex autonomic or organic computing system should be trustworthy to avoid the risk of losing control of it and to retain confidence that it won't fail. Today's distributed systems include components that are strongly dependent on each other for their correct behavior. In a system that incorporates pervasive and mobile computing functionality, these dependencies include a huge variety of devices and their associated software. In such systems, change is a constant concern, so it's crucial that dynamic and intricate environments be managed. Dependable systems can't be built without a significant monitoring and management component. This article examines several approaches to establishing and monitoring system trustworthiness. In particular, it explores health monitoring, string kernels, available commercial tools, design considerations, and the semantic exploitation of environmental artifacts.

IT professional, information systems, trustworthiness, software environments, system health monitoring

Jeffrey Voas, John Harauz, George F. Hurlburt, "Trustworthiness in Software Environments", IT Professional, vol. 11, no. , pp. 35-40, September/October 2009, doi:10.1109/MITP.2009.111