PINCETTE · Validating Changes and Upgrades in Networked Software

Europe relies on the availability and flawless functioning of distributed infrastructures, such as electricity, water, communication, transportation, and environmental management. This infrastructure is based on distributed networked IT systems for monitoring and control.<br/>Technological innovation offers opportunities for more efficient infrastructure.Innovation in infrastructures and the resulting improvement in quality of life are hindered by the danger of upgrades:•\tin a new version, some of the existing functionality can be lost;•\tincompatibilities between the old and new version can result in major service outages;As it is infeasible to update the entire infrastructure at once, periods of coexistence between old and new components are inevitable.<br/>As a result, infrastructure upgrades are done only once the existing infrastructure performs below acceptable levels. Lowering the risk of infrastructure updates will benefit society, infrastructure operators, and the European systems vendors. All existing validation solutions do not take upgrades into account. A solution for validating upgrades is in dire need because of shorter product lifecycles and increasing complexity and scale of networked systems.<br/>PINCETTE will develop the technology to ensure safe infrastructure upgrades by validating continuously evolving networked software systems.PINCETTE will 1) reduce the cost and time to market of upgrades by several orders of magnitude; 2) increase the level of confidence in the safety of upgrades; 3) enable certification of upgrades.<br/>The PINCETTE consortium is composed of the leading European research experts and prominent infrastructure providers. The PINCETTE technology will be validated at:•\tABB produces and sells components and systems used in utility, industrial, and public transportation infrastructures. A major share of the European power grid is built on ABB equipment.•\tVTT provides the monitoring and maintenance robot system for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.•\tIAI operates autonomous aircrafts for environmental monitoring, deployed worldwide.