Testing Embedded Software

By Bart Broekman & Edwin Notenboom
November 2002
Pearson Education
ISBN: 0321159861
368 pages, Illustrated
$110.00 Hardcover

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The book provides a practical and comprehensive overview of how to test embedded software.
• The book describes how embedded systems can be tested in a structured, controlled way.
• The first complete description of all necessary ingredients of a testing process.
• It includes classic as well as modern test design techniques.
• The described approach is useful in real-life situations of 'limited time and resources.
Technology:

More and more our society is pervaded by embedded software: cars, telecom, home entertainment devices are full of software. Embedded systems are becoming larger and more complex with an increasing amount of software, leading to a growing need for a structured testing method which helps to tackle the typical problems in embedded software testing.

Audience:
Managers or team leaders that are responsible for development and/or testing of embedded software and systems. Also, people who actually perform the primary software testing activities.

Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Recommendations
PART I INTRODUCTION
1. FUNDAMENTALS
1.1 Aims Of Testing
1.2 What Is An Embedded System?
1.3 Approach To The Testing Of Embedded Systems
2. THE TEMB METHOD
2.1 Overview
2.2 Temb Generic
2.3 Mechanism For Assembling The Dedicated Test Approach
PART II LIFECYCLE
3. MULTIPLE V-MODEL
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Test Activities In The Multiple Vs
3.3 The Nested Multiple V-Model
4. MASTER TEST PLANNING
4.1 Elements Of Master Test Planning
4.2 Activities
5. TESTING BY DEVELOPERS
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Integration Approach
5.3 Lifecycle
6. TESTING BY AN INDEPENDENT TEST TEAM
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Planning And Control Phase
6.3 Preparation Phase
6.4 Specification Phase
6.5 Execution Phase
6.6 Completion Phase
PART III TECHNIQUES
7. RISK-BASED TEST STRATEGY
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Risk Assessment
7.3 Strategy In Master Test Planning
7.4 Strategy For A Test Level
7.5 Strategy Changes During The Test Process
7.6 Strategy For Maintenance Testing
8. TESTABILITY REVIEW
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Procedure
9. INSPECTIONS
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Procedure
10. SAFETY ANALYSIS
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Safety Analysis Techniques
10.3 Safety Analysis Lifecycle
11. TEST DESIGN TECHNIQUES
11.1 Overview
11.2 State Transition Testing
11.3 Control Flow Test
11.4 Elementary Comparison Test
11.5 Classification-Tree Method
11.6 Evolutionary Algorithms
11.7 Statistical Usage Testing
11.8 Rare Event Testing
11.9 Mutation Analysis
12. CHECKLISTS
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Checklists For Quality Characteristics
12.3 General Checklist For High-Level Testing
12.4 General Checklist For Low-Level Testing
12.5 Test Design Techniques Checklist
12.6 Checklists Concerning The Test Process
PART IV INFRASTRUCTURE
13. EMBEDDED SOFTWARE TEST ENVIRONMENTS
13.1 Introduction
13.2 First Stage: Simulation
13.3 Second Stage: Prototyping
13.4 Third Stage: Pre-Production
13.5 Post-Development Stage
14. TOOLS
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Categorization Of Test Tools
15. TEST AUTOMATION
15.1 Introduction
15.2 The Technique Of Test Automation
15.3 Implementing Test Automation
16. MIXED SIGNALS
16.1 Introduction
16.2 Stimuli Description Techniques
16.3 Measurement And Analysis Techniques
PART V ORGANIZATION
17. TEST ROLES
17.1 General Skills
17.2 Specific Test Roles
18. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
18.1 Staff
18.2 Training
18.3 Career Perspectives
19. ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
19.1 Test Organization
19.2 Communication Structures
20. TEST CONTROL
20.1 Control Of The Test Process
20.2 Control Of The Test Infrastructure
20.3 Control Of The Test Deliverables
PART VI APPENDICES
Appendix A: Risk Classification
Appendix B: State charts
B.1 States
B.2 Events
B.3 Transitions
B.4 Actions And Activities
B.5 Execution Order
B.6 Nested States
Appendix C: Blueprint Of An Automated Test Suite
C.1 Test Data
C.2 Start
C.3 Planner
C.4 Reader
C.5 Translator
C.6 Test Actions
C.7 Initialization
C.8 Synchronization
C.9 Error Recovery
C.10 Reporting
C.11 Checking
C.12 Framework
C.13 Communication
Appendix D: Pseudocode Evolutionary Algorithms
D.1 Main Process
D.2 Selection
D.3 Recombination
D.4 Mutation
D.5 Insertion
Appendix E: Example Test Plane.1 Assignment
E.2 Test Basis
E.3 Test Strategy
E.4 Planning
E.5 Threats, Risks, And Measures
E.6 Infrastructure
E.7 Test Organization
E.8 Test Deliverables
E.9 Configuration Management
Glossary
References

Features
• Provides a practical and comprehensive overview of how to test embedded software.
• Includes classic as well as modern test design techniques.
• Demonstrates an approach that is useful in the real-life situations of 'limited time and resources.'
• In depth treatment of test design techniques that can be directly applied.
• Description of how to establish a professional test organision - with particular emphasis on roles, tasks, responsibilities, organisational hierarchies and communication structures.
• Coverage of how to organise the test process.

Authors
Bart Broekman has been a software test practitioner since 1990. He participated in European embedded software research projects (ITEA) and is co-author of a book on test automation.
Edwin Notenboom has been a professional tester at Sogeti for six years. Together with Bart Broekman, he has been participating in a European ITEA project on embedded systems since February 1999.

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