SFT3423

Systems quality, verification and validation

Not offered in 1999

4 points - 3 hours per week - First, second semester - Caulfield - Prerequisites: CSC2030 or CSE2303 or equivalent

Objectives At the completion of this subject students should understand the role of validation and verification methods in the system lifecycle; gain experience in using automatic commercial validation tools such as PURIFY to help detect software system defects such as memory leaks and type violations, and automated testing tools; appreciate how assertion mechanisms impact reasoning; be able to analyse and control defects in complex systems; and have an understanding of inspection and testing methods, exploratory prototyping and simulation, performance, and configuration management.

Synopsis This subject covers the products, processes, techniques and tools for system validation and verifications including acceptance tests. Commercial tools such as PURIFY will be used with C++ to verify systems. Inspection and testing methodologies, analysis of artifacts, robustness, performance analysis and configuration management issues are covered. It shows how to predict, analyse, and control defects in complex software systems. It introduces verification methods such as inductive methods for safety properties. Exploratory prototyping, simulation and queueing theory. It covers operational semantics for sequential and concurrent programs based on Hoare logic - assertion mechanisms - precondition, postcondition and invariants with a view to systematic test planning and validation.

Assessment Assignments: 50% - Unit test: 10% - Examination: 40%

Recommended texts

Apt K R and Olderog E-R Verification of sequential and concurrent programs Springer-Verlag, 1991
Deutsch M S Software verification and validation Prentice-Hall, 1982
Lewis R O Independent verification and validation: A lifecycle engineering process for quality software Wiley, 1992
Mazz C and others Software engineering standards Prentice-Hall, 1994
Deutsch M S Software verification and validation Prentice-Hall, 1982
Kleinrock I Queueing theory vol. 1, Wiley, 1975

Back to the 1999 Information Technology Handbooks