Survey of Software Reliability Modeling and Estimation

摘要

With the ever-increasing role that software is playing in the weapon systems, a great need has arisen for tools that are useful in developing cost-effective software. An area of research has arisen over the last 10 years in providing a software manager quantitative statements about the reliability of the software. Using this quantitative measure, the manager can make a determination of when software testing should terminate and how to best utilize testing personnel. This report discusses the various approaches that have been advocated for reliability estimation. It reviews the various models that have been proposed for this estimation process, providing the model assumptions, the estimates of reliabililty, the precision of those estimates, and the data required for their implementation. A comparison is then made among some of these models based upon studies that have been done. General comments concerning software reliability implementation are discussed in the final section of the report.