Software reliability analysis incorporating fault detection and debugging activities

Software reliability measurement problem can be approached by obtaining the estimates of the residual number of faults in the software. Traditional black-box based approaches to software reliability modeling assume that the debugging process is instantaneous and perfect. The estimates of the remaining number of faults, and hence reliability, are based on these oversimplified assumptions and they tend to be optimistic. In this paper, we propose a framework relying on rate-based simulation technique for incorporating explicit debugging activities along with the possibility of imperfect debugging into the black-box software reliability models. We present various debugging policies and analyze the effect of these policies on the residual number of faults in the software. In addition, we propose a methodology to compute the reliability of the software, taking into account explicit debugging activities. An economic cost model to determine the optimal software release criteria in the presence of debugging activities is described. Finally, we present the high-level architecture of a tool, called SRSIM, for the purpose of automating the simulation techniques described in this paper.