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Structural Coverage Tool Analysis & Evaluation Satisfying DO-178B Objectives

Chinchu Tomy Vadassery, M.V. Karunakaran

Abstract


Software Testing determines that the software products satisfy customer’s requirements and are fit for customers use. Testing of airborne software has two objectives of which one objective is to demonstrate that the software satisfies its requirements. To demonstrate with a high degree of confidence that errors which could lead to unacceptable failure conditions, as determined by the system safety assessment process, are removed is the second one. Analysis of structural coverage is done specifically to capture the amount of code coverage of the airborne software. Structural coverage analysis may reveal code structure that was not exercised under any test case evaluation during testing. This unexecuted code structure may be the result of shortcomings in requirements-based test cases or procedures, inadequacies in software requirements, dead code, and deactivated code. The task involves study and analysis of structural coverage analysis tools, develop and execute test cases for meeting the Structural coverage objectives as per DO178B, record the observations and recommend a robust structural coverage analysis tool that is best for industry.

Keywords


Software testing, Safety Critical Systems, DO178B, Structural Coverage Analysis, Structural Coverage Tools, Statement Coverage, Decision Coverage, Modified Condition/Decision Coverage and Data Coupling/Control Coupling.

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References


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