An approach for mutation testing using elitist genetic algorithm

Mutation Testing is used as fault-based testing to overcome limitations of other testing approaches but it is recognized as expensive process. In mutation testing, a good test case is one that kills one or more mutants, by producing different mutant output from the original program. Evolutionary algorithms have been proved its suitability for reducing the cost of data generation in different testing methodologies. In order to reduce the cost of mutation testing, efficient test cases are generated that reveal faults and kill mutants. In this paper, we develop a new strategy for generating efficient test input data in the context of mutation testing.

[1]  A. Jefferson Offutt,et al.  Mutation 2000: uniting the orthogonal , 2001 .

[2]  Frederick C. Harris,et al.  Estimation and Enhancement of Real-Time Software Reliability Through Mutation Analysis , 1992, IEEE Trans. Computers.

[3]  Phyllis G. Frankl,et al.  All-uses vs mutation testing: An experimental comparison of effectiveness , 1997, J. Syst. Softw..

[4]  John H. Holland,et al.  Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems: An Introductory Analysis with Applications to Biology, Control, and Artificial Intelligence , 1992 .

[5]  David E. Goldberg,et al.  Genetic Algorithms in Search Optimization and Machine Learning , 1988 .

[6]  M. Masud,et al.  Strategy for mutation testing using genetic algorithms , 2005, Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2005..

[7]  Mattias Bybro A Mutation Testing Tool for Java Programs Ett verktyg for mutationstestning av Javaprogram Examensarbete i Datalogi, 20p , 2003 .

[8]  William M. Spears,et al.  A Study of Crossover Operators in Genetic Programming , 1991, ISMIS.

[9]  Richard G. Hamlet,et al.  Testing Programs with the Aid of a Compiler , 1977, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering.

[10]  Harmen-Hinrich Sthamer,et al.  The automatic generation of software test data using genetic algorithms , 1995 .

[11]  Giuliano Antoniol,et al.  Automatic mutation test input data generation via ant colony , 2007, GECCO '07.

[12]  Jean-Marc Jézéquel,et al.  Building trust into OO components using a genetic analogy , 2000, Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering. ISSRE 2000.

[13]  Rohit Ghatol,et al.  An Introduction to Data-Flow Testing , 2006 .

[14]  Gary McGraw,et al.  Generating Software Test Data by Evolution , 2001, IEEE Trans. Software Eng..

[15]  A. Jefferson Offutt,et al.  An Experimental Evaluation of Data Flow and Mutation Testing , 1996 .