AN INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF A DYNAMIC SOFTWARE-FAULT MONITORING SYSTEM

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Gates, A. Q. | Teller, P. J.

Affiliations: Department of Computer Science The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas

Abstract: The problems being solved by todays software systems are becoming more complex and are requiring the integration of knowledge from multiple domains. As a result, traditional verification and validation techniques may not be sufficient to identify the existence of software faults. Augmenting these techniques with runtime software-fault monitoring can ensure that software behaves in accordance with constraints elicited from domain experts in varying areas or fields. Previous approaches to software-fault monitoring require the developer to specify pre- and post-conditions on modules, specify constraints on data types, and/or insert constraints at appropriate execution points. The approach described in this paper, Dynamic Monitoring with Integrity Constraints (DynaMICs), addresses issues that have hindered adoption of previous approaches by limiting human intervention to constraint definition and justification and minimizing performance degradation. Unlike other software-fault monitoring systems, DynaMICs captures domain-specific and implementation-independent knowledge through integrity constraints. This paper describes the techniques and knowledge that must be integrated in order to realize this system.

Journal: Journal of Integrated Design & Process Science, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 63-78, 2000