Achieving Complete Structural Test Coverage in Embedded Systems Using Trace-Based Monitoring (Short Paper)

Authors Alexander Weiss , Albert Schulz, Martin Heininger, Martin Sachenbacher , Martin Leucker



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Alexander Weiss
  • Accemic Technologies GmbH, Kiefersfelden, Germany
Albert Schulz
  • Accemic Technologies GmbH, Kiefersfelden, Germany
Martin Heininger
  • Heicon Global Engineering GmbH, Schwendi, Germany
Martin Sachenbacher
  • Institute for Software Engineering and Programming Languages, Universität zu Lübeck, Germany
Martin Leucker
  • Institute for Software Engineering and Programming Languages, Universität zu Lübeck, Germany

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Alexander Weiss, Albert Schulz, Martin Heininger, Martin Sachenbacher, and Martin Leucker. Achieving Complete Structural Test Coverage in Embedded Systems Using Trace-Based Monitoring (Short Paper). In 35th International Conference on Principles of Diagnosis and Resilient Systems (DX 2024). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 125, pp. 19:1-19:12, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024) https://doi.org/10.4230/OASIcs.DX.2024.19

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic approach to achieving, in a well-defined sense, 100% structural test coverage for large embedded software projects. In embedded systems, high code coverage is a critical part of the testing process to ensure that the system works correctly. Measuring code coverage provides insight into the effectiveness of the testing process, the quality of the software, and can help identify untested or partially tested areas of the code. Traditionally, coverage is often measured when unit tests are executed. The proposed approach instead uses integration tests as the starting point for determining test completeness. Measuring code coverage at the integration test level in embedded systems can be challenging due to the limitations of software instrumentation (additional memory requirements and additional CPU load). To overcome these limitations, embedded trace technology is used to measure code coverage continuously and non-intrusively. The use of these techniques will help to increase the reliability of embedded software and reduce the likelihood of missed integration tests, missed high-level requirements, and undetected software defects.

Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Hardware → Reconfigurable logic applications
  • Hardware → Coverage metrics
  • Software and its engineering → Software testing and debugging
Keywords
  • structural tests
  • integration tests
  • code coverage
  • embedded trace

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