Emulation of software faults: Representativeness and usefulness

Abstract

This paper discusses the problem of the emulation of software faults by fault injection. The first part of the paper investigates the possibilities of accurate emulation of real software faults by a SWIFI tool (Xception). Results revealed the limitations of Xception (and other SWIFI tools) in the emulation of several classes of software faults. Based on this first conclusion, the paper presents G-SWFIT which is, to the best of our knowledge, the first technique specifically proposed for the injection of software faults. The feasibility and accuracy of G-SWFIT have been experimentally evaluated, and the results show that this technique provides a very good accuracy. The technique is also quite portable, as all the details related to the emulation of software faults in different environments are encapsulated in fault emulation operator libraries. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003.