Effortless Fault Localisation:Conformance Testing of Real-Time Systems in Ecdar

Model checking of real-time systems has evolved throughout the years. Recently, the model checker Ecdar, using timed I/O automata, was used to perform compositional verification. However, in order to fully integrate model checking of real-time systems into industrial development, we need a productive and reliable way to test if such a system conforms to its corresponding model. Hence, we present an extension of Ecdar that integrates conformance testing into a new IDE that now features modelling, verification, and testing. The new tool uses model-based mutation testing, requiring only the model and the system under test, to locate faults and to prove the absence of certain types of faults. It supports testing using either real-time or simulated time. It parallelises test-case generation and test execution to provide a significant speed-up. We also introduce new mutation operators that improve the ability to detect and locate faults. Finally, we conduct a case study with 140 faulty systems, where Ecdar detects all faults.Comment: In Proceedings GandALF 2018, arXiv:1809.0241

Coevolution of Second-order-mutant

One of the obstacles that hinder the usage of mutation testing is its impracticality, two main contributors of this are a large number of mutants and a large number of test cases involves in the process. Researcher usually tries to address this problem by optimizing the mutants and the test case separately. In this research, we try to tackle both of optimizing mutant and optimizing test-case simultaneously using a coevolution optimization method. The coevolution optimization method is chosen for the mutation testing problem because the method works by optimizing multiple collections (population) of a solution. This research found that coevolution is better suited for multi-problem optimization than other single population methods (i.e. Genetic Algorithm), we also propose new indicator to determine the optimal coevolution cycle. The experiment is done to the artificial case, laboratory, and also a real case

An Empirical Investigation of Using Models During Requirements Engineering in the Automotive Industry

Context:The automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation from a manufacturing industry towards an industry that relies heavily on software. As one of the main factors for project success, requirements engineering (RE) plays a major role in this transition. Similar to other areas of automotive engineering, the use of models during RE has been suggested to increase productivity and tackle increasing complexity by means of abstraction. Existing modelling frameworks often prescribe a variety of different, formal models for RE, trying to maximise the benefit obtained from model-based engineering (MBE). However, these frameworks are typically based on assumptions from anecdotal evidence and experience, without empirical data supporting these assumptions.Objective:The overall aim of our research is to investigate the potential benefits and drawbacks of using model-based RE in an automotive environment based on empirical evidence. To do so, we present an investigation of the current industrial practice of MBE in the automotive industry, existing challenges in automotive RE, and potential use cases for model-based RE. Furthermore, we explore two use cases for model-based RE, namely the creation of behavioural requirements models for validation and verification purposes and the use of existing trace models to support communication.Method:We address the aims of this thesis using three empirical strategies: case study, design science and survey. We collected quantitative and qualitative data using interviews as well as questionnaires.Results:Our results show that using models during automotive RE can be beneficial, if restricted to certain aspects of RE. In particular, models supporting communication and stakeholder interaction are promising. We show that the use of abstract models of behavioural requirements are considered beneficial for system testing purposes, even though they abstract from the detailed functional requirements. Furthermore, we demonstrate that existing data can be understood as a model to uncover dependencies between stakeholders. Conclusions:Our results question the feasibility to construct and maintain large amounts of formal models for RE. Instead, models during RE should be used for a few, important use cases. Additionally, MBE can be used as a means to understand existing problems in software engineering