Model-based coverage-driven test suite generation for software product lines

Abstract

Software Product Line (SPL) engineering is a popular approach for the systematic reuse of software artifacts across a large number of similar products. Unfortunately, testing each product of an SPL separately is often unfeasible. Consequently, SPL engineering is in conflict with standards like ISO 26262, which require each installed software configuration of safety-critical SPLs to be tested using a model-based approach with well-defined coverage criteria. In this paper we address this dilemma and present a new SPL test suite generation algorithm that uses model-based testing techniques to derive a small test suite from one variable 150% test model of the SPL such that a given coverage criterion is satisfied for the test model of every product. Furthermore, our algorithm simplifies the subsequent selection of a small, representative set of products (w.r.t. the given coverage criterion) on which the generated test suite can be executed. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.