Software reliability modeling has, surprisingly to many, been around since the early 1970s with the pioneering works of Jelinski and Moranda, Shooman, and Coutinho. The theory behind software reliability is presented, and some of the major models that have appeared in the literature from both historical and applications perspectives are described. Emerging techniques for software reliability research field are also included. The following four key components in software reliability theory and modeling: historical background, theory, modeling, and emerging techniques are addressed. These items are discussed in a general way, rather than attempting to discuss a long list of details.
Software reliability modeling has, surprisingly to many, been around since the early 1970s with the pioneering works of Jelinski and Moranda (1972), Shooman (1972, 1973, 1976, 1977), and Coutinho (1973). We present the theory behind software reliability, and describe some of the major models that have appeared in the literature from both historical and applications perspectives. Emerging techniques for software reliability research field are also included. We address the following four key components in software reliability theory and modeling: historical background, theory, modeling, and emerging techniques. These topics are introduced in brief below
1. Historical Background
1.1. Basic Definitions
Software reliability is centered on a very important software attribute: reliability. Software reliability is defined as the probability of failure-free software operation for a specified period of time in a specified environment (ANSI, 1991). We notice the three major ingredients in the definition of software reliability: failure, time, and operational environment. We now define these terms and other related software reliability terminology.
1.1.1. Failures
A failure occurs when the user perceives that a software program ceases to deliver the expected service.
The
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