Integration of system dependability and software reliability growth models for e-commerce systems

This paper describes how MEADEP (http//:www.sohar.com/meadep) a system level dependability prediction tool, and SMERFS (Farr and Smith, 1993), a software reliability growth prediction tool can be used together to predict system reliability, availability growth for complex systems. The Littlewood/Verrall model is used to predict reliability growth from software test data. This prediction is integrated into a system level Markov model that incorporates WAN (Internet) service interruptions, hardware failures and recoveries, redundancy, coverage failures and capacity. The results of the combined model can be used to predict the contribution of additional testing upon availability, the economic value of additional testing, and a variety of other figures of merit that support management decisions.