On the Dependability of Highly Heterogeneous and Open Distributed Systems

This paper introduces an architecture of distributed systems that facilitates the implementation of a substantial range of dependable system properties, i.e., properties that span an entire system, or a set of components dispersed throughout it. This architecture, called GDS, for governed distributed system, governs the system by controlling the flow of messages between its actors, independently of the internals of the interacting actors. This governance is done via an enforced collection of interaction laws organized into a modular and conflict free hierarchical ensemble. This ensemble of laws is sensitive to the history of interaction; and it is enforced in a decentralized manner, and is thus scalable. The dependable system properties that can be implemented under GDS can have the following beneficial consequences, among others: a) the ability to establish regularities over the system, rendering it more coherent, and easier to reason about; b) the ability to provide a degree of trust among the disparate actor of the system; and c) the ability to ensure compliance with interaction protocols that are essential for distributed computing. Consequently, the GDS architecture can have a significant impact on the following important system qualities: security, fault tolerance, auditability, and manageability.