BS 5760-8:1998

Committees responsible
Foreword
0 Introduction
Guide
1 Scope
2 Normative references
3 Definitions
4 Basic concepts
    4.1 System reliability
    4.2 Physical failure and design failure
    4.3 Software failure
    4.4 Measurement
    4.5 Software reliability
5 Management overview
    5.1 A management framework for software reliability
          assessment
    5.2 Purposes of measurement
    5.3 Data collection
    5.4 Product-based software reliability assessment
    5.5 Process-based software reliability assessment
    5.6 Product models
    5.7 Process models
    5.8 Applicability and limitations of methods
    5.9 Procedures
6 Software reliability assessment techniques
    6.1 Classification of techniques
    6.2 Software development process models
    6.3 Software property models
    6.4 Stochastic reliability models
    6.5 Assessment of high reliability for software
7 Application procedures
    7.1 Introduction
    7.2 Procedures for use with process models
    7.3 Procedures for use with product property models
    7.4 Procedures for use with stochastic reliability
          models
    7.5 Data collection forms
    7.6 Logistics of software maintenance
Annexes
A (informative) Forms used in data collection
B (informative) Mathematical descriptions of stochastic
    reliability models
C (informative) Predictive accuracy of stochastic
    reliability growth models
D (informative) Bibliography
Figures
1 Mistake, fault, error, failure relationship
2 Software failure mechanism in a simple hierarchical
    system
3 Classification of stochastic reliability models
4 Fundamental reliability assessment problem: time to
    failure
5 Fundamental reliability assessment problem: failure
    count data
6 Example of failure history graphs and use of LCM
7 System failure due to activation of latent faults
8 Fault activation and correction in Jelinski-Moranda
9 Illustration of why the assumption of uniform fault
    size leads to optimistic estimates
10 Fault activation and correction in LSRG
11 Example of a u-plot: assessment of bias in predictions
12 Graphical notation for relationship database structure
13 Database structure: single product on single installation
14 Tables and attributes for single installation data
15 Database structure: multiple products on several
    installations
16 Tables and attributes: multiple products and
    installations
17 Interaction of support cost drivers
A.1 Form 1: incident report
A.2 Form 2: software item use log (calendar time)
A.3 Form 3: software item use log (usage time)
Table
1 Management overview table
List of references

Provides guidance on the assessing of reliability of systems which contain software, regarding those failures due to the activation under certain environmental circumstances of latent design faults located in software items.

This Part of BS5760 gives guidance on the assessment of reliability of systems containing software with respect to those failures that are due to the activation under certain environmental circumstances of latent design faults located in software items.

NOTE Latent software design faults are due to human error during the definition, design and development phases of system production.

Guidance is provided on the assessment of system reliability both by assessment of the product (the software) and by assessment of the process (the means by which the software is developed). This guidance applies to any system containing software regardless of its intended function. There are limits to the level of reliability that can be assessed quantitatively.

This Part of BS5760 seeks to classify some of the more established methods and to provide guidance to the practitioner in applying them.

A bibliography is provided in annexD.