Using static analysis to improve communications infrastructure

Static analysis is a promising technique for improving the safety and reliability of software used in avionics infrastructure. Source code analyzers are effective at locating a significant class of defects that are not detected by compilers during standard builds and often go undetected during runtime testing as well. Related to bug finders are a number of other static code improvement tasks, including automated unit test generation, programmer and software metrics tracking, and coding standards enforcement. However, adoption of these tools for everyday avionics software developer has been low. This paper will discuss the major barriers to adoption of these important tools and provide advice regarding how they can be effectively promulgated across the enterprise. Case studies of popular open source applications will be provided for illustration.