Using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components to build large, complex systems has become the standard way that systems are designed and implemented by government and industry. Much of the literature on COTS-based systems concedes that such systems are not suitable for mission-critical applications. However, there is considerable evidence that COTS-based systems are being used in domains where significant economic damage and even loss of life are possible in the event of a major system failure or compromise. Can we ever build such systems so that the risks are commensurate with those typically taken in other areas of life and commerce?
This paper describes a risk-mitigation framework for deciding when and how COTS components can be used to build survivable systems. Successful application of the framework requires working with vendors to reduce the risks associated with using the vendors' products, and improving and making the best use of your own organization's risk-management skills.
SEI
Lipson, Howard; Mead, Nancy; & Moore, Andrew. Can We Ever Build Survivable Systems from COTS Components?. CMU/SEI-2001-TN-030. Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. 2001. http://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?AssetID=5581
IEEE
Lipson. Howard, Mead. Nancy, and Moore. Andrew, "Can We Ever Build Survivable Systems from COTS Components?," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Technical Note CMU/SEI-2001-TN-030, 2001. http://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?AssetID=5581
APA
Lipson, Howard., Mead, Nancy., & Moore, Andrew. (2001). Can We Ever Build Survivable Systems from COTS Components? (CMU/SEI-2001-TN-030). Retrieved April 22, 2018, from the Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University website: http://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?AssetID=5581
CHI
Howard Lipson, Nancy Mead, & Andrew Moore. Can We Ever Build Survivable Systems from COTS Components? (CMU/SEI-2001-TN-030). Pittsburgh, PA: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, 2001. http://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?AssetID=5581
MLA
Lipson, Howard., Mead, Nancy., & Moore, Andrew. 2001. Can We Ever Build Survivable Systems from COTS Components? (Technical Report CMU/SEI-2001-TN-030). Pittsburgh: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. http://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?AssetID=5581
BibTex
@techreport{LipsonCanWe2001,
title={Can We Ever Build Survivable Systems from COTS Components?},
author={Howard Lipson and Nancy Mead and Andrew Moore},
year={2001},
number={CMU/SEI-2001-TN-030},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
address={Pittsburgh, PA},
url={http://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?AssetID=5581}
}