Reliability prediction and assessment of fielded software based on multiple change-point models

In this paper, we investigate some techniques for reliability prediction and assessment of fielded software. We first review how several existing software reliability growth models based on non-homogeneous Poisson processes (NHPPs) can be readily derived based on a unified theory for NHPP models. Furthermore, based on the unified theory, we can incorporate the concept of multiple change-points into software reliability modeling. Some models are proposed and discussed under both ideal and imperfect debugging conditions. A numerical example by using real software failure data is presented in detail and the result shows that the proposed models can provide fairly good capability to predict software operational reliability.

[1]  John D. Musa,et al.  Software Reliability Engineering: More Reliable Software Faster and Cheaper , 2004 .

[2]  G. Q. Kenny.  Estimating defects in commercial software during operational use , 1993 .

[3]  Ravishankar K. Iyer,et al.  Field Failures And Reliability In Operation , 1993, Proceedings of 1993 IEEE International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering.

[4]  Michael R. Lyu,et al.  Handbook of software reliability engineering , 1996 .

[5]  Yinong Chen.  Modelling software operational reliability via input domain-based reliability growth model , 1998, Digest of Papers. Twenty-Eighth Annual International Symposium on Fault-Tolerant Computing (Cat. No.98CB36224).

[6]  L. Darrell Whitley,et al.  Prediction of Software Reliability Using Connectionist Models , 1992, IEEE Trans. Software Eng..

[7]  Michael R. Lyu,et al.  A Unified Scheme of Some Nonhomogenous Poisson Process Models for Software Reliability Estimation , 2003, IEEE Trans. Software Eng..

[8]  Chin-Yu Huang,et al.  Performance analysis of software reliability growth models with testing-effort and change-point , 2005, J. Syst. Softw..

[9]  Kishor S. Trivedi,et al.  A multiphase software reliability model: From testing to operational phase , 1996 .

[10]  Ming Zhao.  Change-point problems in software and hardware reliability , 1993 .

[11]  Feng-Zhong Zou,et al.  A change‐point perspective on the software failure process , 2003, Softw. Test. Verification Reliab..

[12]  Amrit L. Goel,et al.  An Analysis Of Recurrent Software Errors In A Real-Time Control System , 1978, ACM Annual Conference.

[13]  John D. Musa,et al.  Sensitivity of field failure intensity to operational profile errors , 1994, Proceedings of 1994 IEEE International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering.

[14]  Jin Wang,et al.  Downtime Optimization for Fishing Vessel Equipment Using Delay Time Analysis , 2001 .

[15]  Jean-Claude Laprie,et al.  Software Reliability Trend Analyses from Theoretical to Practical Considerations , 1994, IEEE Trans. Software Eng..

[16]  Jinde Wang,et al.  Parameter Estimation of Some NHPP Software Reliability Models with Change-Point , 2005 .

[17]  Kwang Mo Jeong,et al.  An Adaptive Failure Rate Change-Point Model for Software Reliability , 2001 .

[18]  Michael R. Lyu,et al.  Quantitative software reliability modeling from testing to operation , 2000, Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering. ISSRE 2000.

[19]  John D. Musa,et al.  Software reliability engineering : more reliable software, faster development and testing , 1999 .

[20]  Shigeru Yamada,et al.  Software reliability measurement in imperfect debugging environment and its application , 1993 .

[21]  Michael R. Lyu,et al.  What is software reliability? , 1994, Proceedings of COMPASS'94 - 1994 IEEE 9th Annual Conference on Computer Assurance.

[22]  Yashwant K. Malaiya,et al.  Predictability measures for software reliability models , 1990, Proceedings., Fourteenth Annual International Computer Software and Applications Conference.