|
Herbert Hecht, Testing for Software Safety, NASA Dependable Flight SystemsConference
<
Abstract. The concerns of software safety are (1) that functional programs do
not generate hazards, and (2) that safety monitoring programs execute
flawlessly. The latter poses the bigger challenge, because when the program is
called upon to act in an anomaly the scope of which cannot be completely defined
in advance. There is also the need to minimize false alarms and there may be
additional problems when the monitored function and the monitor share an
environment.
The present approach to constructing test cases is empirical, determined by
local precedent, with little global sharing of the effectiveness of test case
selection criteria. Test reports typically concentrate on the performance of the
system under test with very little effort devoted to advancing test technology. In view of the large resources that go into software safety testing it is recommended
that a fraction of that amount be allocated to research into specific software safety
areas that are not covered by either systems safety guidelines or software testing
methodology.
Click to Download
|
|
