A Software Reliability Model with Dependent Failure and Optimal Release Time

Abstract

In the past, because computer programs were restricted to perform only simple functions, the dependence on software was not large, resulting in relatively small losses after a failure. How-ever, with the development of the software market, the dependence on software has increased considerably, and software failures can cause significant social and economic losses. Software reliability studies were previously conducted under the assumption that software failures occur independently. However, as software systems become more complex and extremely large, software failures are becoming frequently interdependent. Therefore, in this study, a software reliability model is developed under the assumption that software failures occur in a dependent manner. We derive the software reliability model through the number of software failure and fault detection rate assuming point symmetry. The proposed model proves good performance compared with 21 previously developed software reliability models using three datasets and 11 criteria. In addition, to find the optimal release time, a cost model using the developed software reliability model was presented. To determine this release time, four parameters constituting the software reliability model were changed by 10%. By comparing the change in the cost model and the optimal release time, it was found that parameter had the greatest influence.