Authors are invited to submit papers to the Tenth Workshop on Hot Topics in System Dependability (HotDep '14). The workshop will be co-located with the 11th USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation (OSDI '14), which will be held October 6–8, 2014, in Broomfield, CO.

HotDep '14 will bring forth cutting-edge research ideas spanning the domains of systems and fault tolerance/reliability, drawing from the two associated research communities (i.e., researchers who attend traditional "dependability" conferences such as DSN and ISSRE, and those who attend "systems" conferences such as OSDI, SOSP, and EuroSys). The workshop will build links between the two communities and serve as a forum for sharing ideas and challenges. Previous editions of HotDep have been co-located with DSN, OSDI, and SOSP since 2005; for previous HotDep workshops, see http://www.hotdep.org.

Paper Scope and Topics

HotDep invites submissions to all areas related to design and implementation of dependable systems, spanning both hardware and software systems. The workshop has a strong focus on the implementation of such systems rather than theory results that are not directly applicable, but theory results with a strong practical motivation are also a good match.

Since dependability appears in different forms across different areas, there is no specific topic or area that is preferable for a submission. It is important, however, that the submission clearly states the context of the problem, explains the problem, and supports the direction the paper promotes. Examples of areas of interest for HotDep are:

    Dependability for large-scale systems, data centers, cloud computing, mobile systems, cyber-physical systems, and the Internet of Things
    Dependability in the software stack, including operating systems, network protocols, runtime systems, etc.
    Dependability in the presence of new technologies (e.g., RDMA, Non-Volatile RAM, Software-defined Networking).
    Fault and intrusion tolerance, self-healing systems, and continuous operation throughout recovery
    Techniques for better detection, diagnosis, or recovery from failures
    Forensic tools for use by administrators and programmers after failure or attack
    The use of "big data" for improving dependability
    Tools/concepts/techniques/metrics for quantifying or optimizing trade-offs among dependability, availability, performance, correctness, resource utilization, security, and privacy

The workshop aims to improve interactions among researchers from the dependability and systems communities, and thus the review process favors papers that are likely to generate healthy debate. Example submissions include but are not limited to:

    Novel techniques, algorithms, or protocols for building dependable/secure systems
    Different angles for existing problems using novel approaches with plausible benefits
    Description of an emerging problem and potential solutions
    Refuting old, entrenched perspectives on dependability
    Advocacy, critical or controversial papers if based on a technical foundation

Deadline and Submission Information

Authors are invited to submit position papers by 11:59 p.m. PDT on July 10, 2014. This is a firm deadline—no extensions will be given.

Submitted position papers must be no longer than 5 pages (8.5" x 11") of text including figures and tables, and 1 additional page solely for references. Your paper should be typeset in two-column format in 10-point type on 12-point (single-spaced) leading, with the text block being no more than 6.5" wide by 9" deep. Author names and affiliations should appear on the title page. If you wish, use the USENIX LaTeX or Word templates from the USENIX templates page.

Papers must be in PDF and must be submitted via the Web submission form, which will be available here soon.

Authors will be notified of acceptance by August 11, 2014. Authors of accepted papers will produce a final PDF by September 16, 2014. All papers will be available online to registered attendees before the workshop. If your accepted paper should not be published prior to the event, please notify production@usenix.org. The papers will be available online to everyone beginning on the day of the workshop, October 5, 2014.

Simultaneous submission of the same work to multiple venues, submission of previously published work, or plagiarism constitutes dishonesty or fraud. USENIX, like other scientific and technical conferences and journals, prohibits these practices and may take action against authors who have committed them. See the USENIX Conference Submissions Policy for details. Questions? Contact your program co-chairs, hotdep14chairs@usenix.org, or the USENIX office, submissionspolicy@usenix.org.

Papers accompanied by nondisclosure agreement forms will not be considered. Accepted submissions will be treated as confidential prior to publication on the USENIX HotDep '14 Web site; rejected submissions will be permanently treated as confidential.

Registration Materials

Complete program and registration information will be available on the HotDep '14 Web site in August 2014.