CSE 8317 (Fall 2005): Software Reliability and Safety
Prof. Jeff Tian, CSE Dept., SMU, Dallas, TX 75275
Phone: (214)768-2861; Fax: (214)768-3085
tian@engr.smu.edu; www.engr.smu.edu/~tian/class/8317.05f
1. General Information
With the pervasive use of computers and software systems in modern society,
ensuring the reliability and safety of such systems has become
increasingly important.
This advanced course on software reliability and safety engineering
will focus on recent research in the subject area that may have a great
practical impact and that may lead to innovative research.
CSE 8317 will be organized as a research seminar,
with active student participation.
This course attempts to enhance the advanced research component
in the SMU's software engineering program.
It is particularly suited for students interested in pursuing a Ph.D.
or D.E. (in the planning stage now) degree in software engineering,
and for MS/SE students who want to get a firsthand knowledge about
some advanced research affecting their field of study.
For students in SMU's MS/SE program, this course can be counted
either as an "advanced major elective" or as a "general elective" course.
2. Course Contents
We will have in-depth discussions about several important
topics concerning the measurement,
analysis and improvement activities aimed at ensuring
software reliability and safety.
The major focus will be on three areas:
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Software reliability engineering:
reliability concepts applied to software domain,
software reliability models and analysis methods,
data collection and analysis,
related tools and practices,
and relation to operational profiles and statistical testing techniques.
-
Software safety engineering:
safety concepts applied to computer-intensive systems,
safety and hazard analysis using fault trees and event trees,
integration of safety assurance into the software processes,
formal verification for safety,
and general techniques to deal with safety issues.
-
Recent developments in these areas,
particularly relevant research done at SMU,
including tree-based reliability modeling,
data clustering and censoring techniques,
prescriptive specification checking for hazard prevention,
early estimate and risk management techniques for reliability
and safety improvement,
and new applications of software reliability and safety to
web-based and embedded systems.
For the Fall 2005 Semester class in executive format, we will cover the
topics in the following order:
- Class 1: Course overview and common analyses for SRE/SSE.
- Class 2: SRE and student presentations about defect analysis and SRE.
- Class 3: SRE and student presentations about SRE (am) and SSE (pm)
- Class 4: SSE and student presentations about SSE.
- Class 5: Wrap-up, final quiz, and student project presentations.
3. Textbooks and Class Material
-
Required:
Jeff Tian,
"Software Quality Engineering:
Testing, Quality Assurance, and Quantifiable Improvement"
John Wiley and Sons, Inc., and IEEE Computer Society Press, 2005.
ISBN: 0-471-71345-7
Get it from the SMU bookstore,
or place your order at
official Wiley website for the book,
your local bookstore, or your favorite online booksellers.
-
Required:
Nancy G. Leveson,
"Safeware: System Safety and Computers",
Addison-Wesley, 1995.
ISBN 0-201-11972-2.
-
Highly recommended:
Michael R. Lyu, editor,
"Handbook of Software Reliability Engineering",
McGraw-Hill, 1995.
ISBN 0-07-039400-8.
A CD-ROM containing software reliability tools and actual data
is included in the book.
The book (hardcopy) is out of print at this time.
But it is
available online.
-
Recommended:
J. D. Musa, A. Iannino and K. Okumoto,
"Software Reliability: Measurement, Prediction, Application",
McGraw-Hill, 1987.
ISBN 0-07-044093-X.
A classic in software reliability engineering.
There are two editions, original (1987) and professional (1990).
The student should get the original edition for in-depth
mathematics used in reliability models.
4. Workload and Grading
The course grade each student receives will reflect the weighted
average of homework, a major project, a final quiz, and other assignments:
- Project:
See the online project information for more details.
- Homework:
See the online homework assignments.
- Student presentation:
See the online student presentation information
for more details.
- Final Quiz:
There will be a comprehensive final quiz to cover
the breadth of the students' knowledge
in SRE and SSE
(as the students' depth of knowledge is demonstrated in their projects).
The approximate weight assignment is as follows:
-
Project (proposal, report, and presentation): 40%
-
Final quiz: 25%
-
Homework: 15%
-
Presentation/participation: 20%
Notice
(Relevant SMU policies):
* Disability Accommodations:
Students needing academic accommodations for
a disability must first contact Ms. Rebecca Marin, Coordinator,
Services for Students with Disabilities (214-768-4557)
to verify the disability and establish eligibility for accommodations.
They should then schedule an appointment with the professor
to make appropriate arrangements. (See University Policy No. 2.4.)
* Religious Observance: Religiously observant students wishing to be
absent on holidays that require missing class should notify
their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester,
and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of
making up any work missed because of the absence.
(See University Policy No. 1.9.)
* Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities:
Students participating in an officially sanctioned,
scheduled University extracurricular activity should be given
the opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded
assignments missed as a result of their participation.
It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements
with the instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination
or other missed assignment for making up the work.
(University Undergraduate Catalog)
Prepared by Jeff Tian
(tian@engr.smu.edu).
Initially posted: Aug. 5, 2005.
Last update: Aug. 12, 2005.