Stress Testing of Data-Communication Networks

NetStress is a computer program that stress-tests a data-communication network and components thereof. NetStress comprises two components running, respectively, in a transmitting system and a receiving system connected to a network under tes

Radio System for Locating Emergency Workers

A system based on low-power radio transponders and associated analog and digital electronic circuitry has been developed for locating firefighters and other emergency workers deployed in a building or other structure. The system has obvious potential for saving lives and reducing the risk of injuries. The system includes (1) a central station equipped with a computer and a transceiver; (2) active radio-frequency (RF) identification tags, each placed in a different room or region of the structure; and (3) transponder units worn by the emergency workers. The RF identification tags can be installed in a new building as built-in components of standard fire-detection devices or ground-fault electrical outlets or can be attached to such devices in a previously constructed building, without need for rewiring the building. Each RF identification tag contains information that uniquely identifies it. When each tag is installed, information on its location and identity are reported to, and stored at, the central station. In an emergency, if a building has not been prewired with RF identification tags, leading emergency workers could drop sequentially numbered portable tags in the rooms of the building, reporting the tag numbers and locations by radio to the central station as they proceed

Triple Modular Redundancy With Standby (Tmrsb) Supporting Dynamic Resource Reconfiguration

A fault tolerance model called Triple Modular Redundancy with Standby (TMRSB) is developed which combines the two popular fault tolerance techniques of Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) and Standby (SB) fault tolerance. In TMRSB systems, each module of a TMR arrangement has access to several independent standby configurations. When a fault is detected in a module\u27s active configuration, the physical resources within that module are re-mapped to restore the desired fault-free functionality by reconfiguring the resource pool to one of the standby configurations. A mathematic model for TMRSB systems is developed for Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) logic devices. Simulation of the model was also performed using the BlockSim reliability software tool which takes into account the reconfiguration time overheads and an imperfect switching mechanism. With component time-to-failure following an exponential distribution throughout long mission duration, the range of operation over which TMRSB is superior to a Standby System and a TMR system is shown. © 2006 IEEE

Triple Modular Redundancy with Standby

Abstract- A fault tolerance model calle