Modular operational test plans for inferences on software reliability based on a Markov model

This paper considers the problem of assessing the reliability of a software system that can be decomposed into a finite number of modules. It uses a Markovian model for the transfer of control between modules in order to develop the system reliability expression in terms of the module reliabilities. An operational test procedure is considered in which only the individual modules are tested and the system is considered acceptable if, and only if, no failures are observed. The minimum number of tests required of each module is determined such that the probability of accepting a system whose reliability falls below a specified value R/sub 0/ is less than a specified small fraction /spl beta/. This sample size determination problem is formulated as a two-stage mathematical program and an algorithm is developed for solving this problem. Two examples from the literature are considered to demonstrate the procedure.