A Censored Nonparametric Software Reliability Model

1 IntroductionLet the initial number of defects of a software systemunder testing beN, and theith defect is found atTi, and finally stop testingwhen thenth defectis found atTn. The basic function of the software relia-bility model is estimating or predicting software reliability from the data set of survival time (the timeto be found in testing){Ti}=T1, T2,…, Tn. Up till now, a lot of parametric models have been de-veloped. Generally speaking, these models assume that the failure data come…     

关于软件可靠性测试的若干问题

软件可靠性测试是软件测试的一种形式,它强调软件测试与软件可靠性之间的定量关系,旨在定量改进和评估软件可靠性。从数学角度严格量化软件测试与软件可靠性之间的关系是一件困难的事情。本文举例说明软件可靠性测试中的几个问题,包括软件缺陷的估计、软件测试过程的数学建模、以及软件可靠度的最优估计等。由此可知,软件可靠性测试涉及到不同领域的知识和多种数学工具。     

Discrete Nonhomogeneous Poisson Process Software Reliability Growth Models Based on Test Coverage

To incorporate the effect of test coverage, we proposed two novel discrete nonhomogeneous Poisson process software reliability growth models in this article using failure data and test coverage, which are both regarding the number of executed test cases instead of execution time. Because one of the most important factors of the coverage‐based software reliability growth models is the test coverage function (TCF), we first discussed a discrete TCF based on beta function. Then we developed two discrete mean value functions (MVF) integrating test coverage and imperfect debugging. Finally, the proposed discrete TCF and MVFs are evaluated and validated on two actual software reliability data sets. The results of numerical illustration demonstrate that the proposed TCF and the MVFs provide better estimation and fitting under comparisons. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

加强软件质量控制,提高军用软件的可靠性水平

针对军用软件在质量和可靠性方面存在的问题,提出了提高军用软件质量和可靠性的措施和方法。     

TOPAAS: An Alternative Approach to Software Reliability Quantification

In the realm of safety related systems, a growing number of functions are realized by software, ranging from ‘firmware’ to autonomous decision‐taking software. To support (political) real‐world decision makers, quantitative risk assessment methodology quantifies the reliability of systems. The optimal choice of safety measures with respect to the available budget, for example, the UK (as low as reasonably practicable approach), requires quantification. If a system contains software, some accepted methods on quantification of software reliability exist, but none of them is generally applicable, as we will show. We propose a model bringing software into the quantitative risk assessment domain by introducing failure of software modules (with their probabilities) as basic events in a fault tree. The method is known as ‘TOPAAS’ (Task‐Oriented Probability of Abnormalities Analysis for Software). TOPAAS is a factor model allowing the quantification of the basic ‘software’ events in fault tree analyses. In this paper, we argue that this is the best approach currently available to industry. Task‐Oriented Probability of Abnormalities Analysis for Software is a practical model by design and is currently put to field testing in risk assessments of programmable electronic safety‐related systems in tunnels and control systems of movable storm surge barriers in the Netherlands. The TOPAAS model is constructed to incorporate detailed fields of knowledge and to provide focus toward reliability quantification in the form of a probability measure of mission failure. Our development also provides context for further in‐depth research. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

某测试软件输入模块的可靠性测试方法研究

采用黑盒测试方法对某数据采集系统的测试软件进行了测试.通过对软件需求和性能的分析,建立了软件的运行剖面和测试案例,进行了可靠性测试,得到了该软件输入模块的可靠性测试结果.     

Software Assurance Using Structured Assurance Case Models

Software assurance is an important part of the software development process to reduce risks and ensure that the software is dependable and trustworthy. Software defects and weaknesses can often lead to software errors and failures and to exploitation by malicious users. Testing, certification and accreditation have been traditionally used in the software assurance process to attempt to improve software trustworthiness.In this paper, we examine a methodology known as a structured assurance model, which has been widely used for assuring system safety, for its potential application to software assurance. We describe the structured assurance model and examine its application and use for software assurance. We identify strengths and weaknesses of this approach and suggest areas for further investigation and testing.     

软件测试数据的统计分析

软件可靠性评估是软件可靠性研究的重要问题,本文研究了软件测试数据的样本点序法,获得了软件可靠度的置信下限,证明了该置信限的最优性。最后给出一个实例说明该方法的可行性。     

Two Case Studies in Applying Statistical Models in Software Development

We present two case studies in software testing to illustrate two different goals of software reliability analyses. The first case study is about administrative software of an insurance company, while the second one is on an issue of national interest in the Netherlands: safety of software control of a closable dam as part of a sea flood protection system. We pay attention to practical and methodological aspects that often are ignored or not correctly treated in software reliability analyses. In particular, we provide pointers to recent statistics literature that are relevant for software reliability.     

A Software Tool for Reliability Estimation

Over the years, several tools have been developed to estimate the reliability of hardware and software components. Typically, such tools are either for hardware or software. This paper presents the Software Tool for Reliability Estimation (STORE), which can be used for systems containing hardware and/or software components. For software components, exponential, Weibull, gamma, power, geometric, and inverse-linear models were implemented. Goodness of fit statistics are provided for each model. The user can select the most appropriate model for a given system configuration and failure data. The STORE program can analyze series, parallel, and complex systems. Tieset and cutset algorithm is utilized to determine the reliability of a complex system. The paper presents several examples to demonstrate the software tool.     

Simple Plots Improve Software Reliability Prediction Models

Software reliability prediction is accomplished by fitting a nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) model to data from software testing. The data consist of the cumulative time and the cumulative number of failures found in software testing. The NHPP model can be used to predict the reliability of the software product at the time of release or to determine how much further testing must be done to reach a specified failure rate. Models are normally fitted to software testing data using Poisson regression by the method of maximum likelihood. We encountered difficulties fitting models when numerical algorithms failed to converge or when we were unable to discriminate among several models with the same number of parameters. These difficulties were the result of having no likelihood ratio test to compare models with the same number of parameters and anomalies in the data that caused numerical algorithms to fail. We found that a simple cumulative plot of the data (cumulative failures on the vertical axis vs. cumulative test time on the horizontal axis) helped in spotting anomalies in the data and selecting an appropriate model to fit. A second plot of running products of ratios of the probability densities for the predictions made from competing models, called the prequential likelihood ratio, helped in discriminating between models. Use of these plots helped resolve the difficulties we experienced in fitting models to the software testing data.     

误差为线性过程时非参数回归模型变点的两步估计

本文给出误差为线性过程时非参数回归模型变点两步估计.第一步,给出变点位置的初始估计,并且证明了该估计量的相合性;第二步,在变点初始估计值的基础上推导出变点位置的最终估计量并给出了该估计量的收敛速度.数值模拟以及尼罗河数据实例分析的结果说明方法的有效性.     

Approximate Reliability and Availability Models for High Availability and Fault‐tolerant Systems with Repair

Systems designed for high availability and fault tolerance are often configured as a series combination of redundant subsystems. When a unit of a subsystem fails, the system remains operational while the failed unit is repaired; however, if too many units in a subsystem fail concurrently, the system fails. Under conditions usually met in practical situations, we show that the reliability and availability of such systems can be accurately modeled by representing each redundant subsystem with a constant, ‘effective’ failure rate equal to the inverse of the subsystem mean‐time‐to‐failure (MTTF). The approximation model is surprisingly accurate, with an error on the order of the square of the ratio mean‐time‐to‐repair to mean‐time‐to‐failure (MTTR/MTTF), and it has wide applicability for commercial, high‐availability and fault‐tolerant computer systems. The effective subsystem failure rates can be used to: (1) evaluate the system and subsystem reliability and availability; (2) estimate the system MTTF; and (3) provide a basis for the iterative analysis of large complex systems. Some observations from renewal theory suggest that the approximate models can be used even when the unit failure rates are not constant and when the redundant units are not homogeneous. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonparametric Synthetic Control Charts for Process Variation

In this article, we propose nonparametric synthetic and side‐sensitive synthetic control charts for controlling fraction nonconforming due to increase in the process variation. Synthetic control chart is a combination of sign and conforming run length control charts. We compare performance of the proposed control charts with the Shewhart sign and S² charts. Our performance study shows that the proposed control charts have a higher power of detecting out‐of‐control signal. We also study the steady‐state behavior of a nonparametric synthetic control chart. We present a Markov chain model to evaluate the steady‐state average run length of the synthetic and side‐sensitive synthetic control charts. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling and Simulation of Scraper Reliability for Maintenance

A scraper conveyor is a kind of heavy machinery which can continuously transport goods and widely used in mines,ports and store enterprises.Since scraper failure rate directly affects production costs and production capacity,the evaluation and the prediction of scraper conveyor reliability are important for these enterprises.In this paper,the reliabilities of different parts are classified and discussed according to their structural characteristics and different failure factors.Based on the component’s time-to-failure density function,the reliability model of scraper chain is constructed to track the age distribution of part population and the reliability change of the scraper chain.Based on the stress-strength interference model,considering the decrease of strength due to fatigue failure,the dynamic reliability model of such component as gear,axis is developed to observe the change of the part reliability with the service time of scraper.Finally,system reliability model of the scraper is established for the maintenance to simulate and calculate the scraper reliability.     

Practical Reliability and Maintainability Analysis Tool for an Open Source Cloud Computing

We focus on a cloud computing environment by using open source softwares such as OpenStack and Eucalyptus because of the unification management of data and low cost. A cloud computing is attracting attention as a network service to share the computing resources, that is, networks, servers, storage, applications, and services. We propose jump diffusion models based on stochastic differential equations in order to consider the interesting aspect of the provisioning process. Especially, the reliability and maintainability analysis tool for cloud computing is developed in this paper. Also, we analyze actual data to show numerical illustrations of application of the software analysis tool considering the characteristics of cloud computing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonparametric tests and the stationarity of signal amplitude and time measurements

Nonparametric tests have been applied to the stationarity of measurements for pulse edge length measurements, with the object of determining the time taken for a stroboscopic oscilloscope to transfer from the dynamic mode to the static one. Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 11, pp. 3–6, November, 2008.     

计算系统多级抗衰技术研究

为了对抗软件老化,提出一种细粒度的、事前的、主动的多级软件抗衰技术。通过分析系统资源的 占用和损耗情况,判定系统性能的衰退规律,并据此制定了基于时间的多级软件抗衰策略和基于检测的多级软 件抗衰策略,采用有限状态自动机对两种策略进行形式化描述,最后通过Web服务案例说明策略的制定过程, 给出仿真结果。实验表明,较之单一系统级软件抗衰,多级抗衰策略可以进一步缩短MTTR,提供更高的系统可 用性,同时将抗衰成本降到更低。     

Reliability Analysis Considering the Component Collision Behavior for a Large‐scale Open Source Solution

Open source software systems that serve as key components of critical infrastructures in the society are still ever‐expanding now. Many open source software systems are developed in all parts of the world, that is, Firefox, Apache HTTP server, Linux, Android, and so on. Especially, a large‐scale open source solution composed of several open source software is now attracting attention as a next‐generation software development paradigm because of the cost reduction, quick delivery, and work saving. In this paper, we propose a new approach to software reliability assessment based on stochastic differential equations and a hierarchical Bayesian model in order to consider the interesting aspect of the collision status in the binding phase of open source software. Also, we analyze actual software fault‐count data to show numerical examples of software reliability assessment considering the component collision for several open source software. Moreover, we show that the proposed reliability analysis can assist improvement of quality for the large‐scale open source solution. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

阿伦尼斯模型下可靠性增长数据的统计分析

本文以阿伦尼斯（Arrhenius）模型作为环境应力模型，解决利用不同环境应力下可靠性增长试验数据，求试验结束时设备可靠度的置信下限问题。给出了模型参数的极大似然估计，进而求出可靠度的置信下限。模拟研究结果表日月，上述方法效果良好，估计的精度能满足工程要求。