Broad-spectrum studies of log file analysis

This paper reports on research into applying the technique of log file analysis for checking test results to a broad range of testing and other tasks. The studies undertaken included applying log file analysis to both unit- and system-level testing and to requirements of both safety-critical and non-critical systems, and the use of log file analysis in combination with other testing methods. The paper also reports on the technique of using log file analyzers to simulate the software under test, both in order to validate the analyzers and to clarify requirements. It also discusses practical issues to do with the completeness of the approach, and includes comparisons to other recently-published approaches to log file analysis.