SWE 205 - Introduction to Software Engineering

Lecture 28 Introduction to Software Testing

Lecture Outline

Software testing motivation. What is a software testing? Why software fail? What is cost of software failures? What makes a good software tester?

Software Testing Motivation

The Lion King Animated Storybook

Disneys first multimedia CD-ROM game for kids. Released at Christmas season. 26th December.. Customer Supports Nightmare. The CD was testing only for specific PC platform. It failed on many popular PC operating system.
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Software Testing Motivation

Intel Pentium Floating-Point Bug

(4195835/3145727)* 3145727 - 4195835 If answer is ZERO, your computer is fine. Anything else, you have old Intel Pentium CPU with floating-point division bug. A software bug burned into a computer chip and reproduced over and over in the manufacturing process.
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Software Testing Motivation

NASA Mars Polar Lander, 1999

3rd December 1999, Mars Polar Lander disappeared during its landing attempt. Failure Review Board concludes the likely failure reason was the unexpected setting of a single data bit. Most alarming was why the problem was not caught by internal tests.
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Software Testing Motivation

Malaysia Airlines Jetliner, August 2005

Flight between Perth, Australia and Kuala Lampur, Malaysia zoomed 3,000 feet upwards. A defective software program had provided incorrect data about the aircrafts speed and acceleration, confusing flight computers.
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What is Software Testing?

The process of finding evidence of defects in software systems.

Establishing confidence that a program does what it is supposed to do.

1. Software testing is not debugging. 2. Software testing is not quality assurance

Software Testing Vs Quality Assurance (QA)

Testing is necessary but not enough for QA process.

Testing contributes to improve quality by helping to identify problems.

QA sets standards that project members (including testers) should follow in order to build a better software.
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What is Software Testing?

Correctness of software with respect to requirements or intent; Performance of software under various conditions; Robustness of software, its ability to handle erroneous input and unanticipated conditions; Installation and other facets of a software release.
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Basic Definitions

Failure

There is a deviation of the observed behavior of a program or a system from its specification.

Fault

An incorrect step, process or data definition.

Difference between computed, observed or measured value and the true or theoretically correct value or condition.
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Error

Trivial Example

Failure

For any integer n, square (n) = n*n.

Square (3) = 6

int square (int x) { return x*2; }

Fault

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Trivial Example

Correct Result

For any integer n, square (n) = n*n.

Square (2) = 4

int square (int x) { return x*2; }

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Important Considerations

Detect system failures by choosing test inputs carefully. Determine the faults leading to the failures detected. Repair the faults leading to the failures detected; and Re-test the module/system.
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Why do Failure Occur?

Specification Design Code Other

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Root Causes of Failures

Inaccurate understanding of end user requirements.

Inability to deal with changing requirements.

Late discovery of serious project flaws.

For example, modules that do not fit together.

Implementation teams chaos.

Untrustworthy build & release process.

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Failure Costs

Disneys Lion King CD

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Software Testers

Good understanding of the development process and its products. Ability to anticipate likely faults and errors.

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Semantics of programs

Squeeze Function

Semantics of C are such that integers and characters are somewhat interchangeable. Input Domain - set of values of type int. Input domain can vary on different types of machines.

Fibonacci Function

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Semantics of programs

These examples are deterministic in nature.

A unique output.

Different methods required for nondeterministic programs. Similarly, programs may terminate or not terminate.
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Key Points

Software testing is the process of discovering evidence of defects and failures in software systems. Test early, test often, test enough. Testers should have good understanding of the development process, product.
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Announcements

Quiz # 4

Wednesday 24/12/2008.

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