Software reliability prediction based on design metrics

This study has presented a new model for predicting software reliability based on design metrics. An introduction to the problem of software reliability is followed by a brief overview of software reliability models. A description of the models is given, including a discussion of some of the issues associated with them. The intractability of validating life-critical software is presented. Such validation is shown to require extended periods of test time that are impractical in real world situations. This problem is also inherent in fault tolerant software systems of the type currently being implemented in critical applications today. The design metrics developed at Ball State University is proposed as the basis of a new model for predicting software reliability from information available during the design phase of development. The thesis investigates the proposition that a relationship exists between the design metric D(G) and the errors that are found in the field. A study, performed on a subset of a large defense software system, discovered evidence to support the proposition.Department of Computer ScienceThesis (M.S.