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Confidently Assessing a Zero Probability of Software Failure

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SAFECOMP ’93 (SAFECOMP 1993)

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Abstract

Randomly generated software tests are an established method of estimating software reliability [5, 7]. But as software applications require higher and higher reliabilities, practical difficulties with random testing have become increasingly problematic. These practical problems are particularly acute in life-critical applications, where requirements of 10−7 failures per hour of system reliability translate into a probability of failure (pof) of perhaps 10−9 or less for each individual execution of the software [4]. We refer to software with reliability requirements of this magnitude as ultra-reliable software.

This paper presents a method for assessing the confidence that the software does not contain any faults given that software testing and software testability analysis have been performed. In this method, it is assumed that software testing of the current version has not resulted in any failures, and that software testing has not been exhaustive. In previous publications, we have termed this method of combining testability and testing to assess a confidence in correctness as the “Squeeze Play” and “Reliability Amplification,” [15, 13] however, we have not formally developed the mathematical foundation for quantifying a confidence that the software is correct. We do so in this paper.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Reliable Software Technologies Corporation, Penthouse Suite, 1001 North Highland Street, Arlington, VA, 22201, USA

    Christoph C. Michael

  2. Department of Computer Science, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA

    Keith W. Miller

Authors
  1. Jeffrey M. Voas
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  2. Christoph C. Michael
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  3. Keith W. Miller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Keith W. Miller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Franco-Polish School of New Information and Communication Technology, 60-854, Poznań, Poland

    Janusz Górski

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© 1993 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Voas, J.M., Michael, C.C., Miller, K.W. (1993). Confidently Assessing a Zero Probability of Software Failure. In: Górski, J. (eds) SAFECOMP ’93. SAFECOMP 1993. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2061-2_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2061-2_21

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-19838-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-2061-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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