Software Reliability Engineering [Hardcover]

John D. Musa (Author)

Book Description

Series: McGraw Hill Series on Software Development | Publication Date: July 31, 1998

This hands-on tutorial shows how to develop tests that ensure the reliability of software systems. Software developers learn how to establish reliable objectives, develop operational profiles, and prepare and execute test cases, as well as about useful formulae and recommended software tools. FAQ sections in each chapgter provide a useful way to review or reference specific information, and practical exercises allow readers to immediately apply what they have learned. John D. Musa is the author of "Software Reliability: Measurement, Prediction, Application".

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Musa...is considered the guru of software reliability engineering."--Michael R. Lyn, Ph.D., Technical Staff, AT&T Laboratories. The Hands-On Guide to SRE. Spotlighting the practical steps that you need to apply Software Reliability Engineering to software development and testing, this first-of-its-kind guide puts the efficiency-enhancing benefits of SRE within easy reach. Organized for quick learning and rapid application, this book leads you through the entire SRE process with the Fone Follower case study, adapted from a Bell Laboratories product. To enhance understanding, each chapter features answered FAQs, as well as hands-on exercises for instant application. The book boils down the core practice of SRE to a one- or two-day learning process. Even newcomers to Software Reliability Engineering can quickly discover how to: set quantitative reliability goals; develop operational profiles; use CASRE to estimate software reliability; determine operational modes. Also helpful to systems engineer,s systems architects, developers, and managers, this unique and valuable tool shows you step-by-step how to deliver the highly efficient engineered software development and testing procedures needed in today's fast-moving marketplace.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill (July 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0079132715
• ISBN-13: 978-0079132710
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Takes software reliability from theory to practical process, May 11, 2001

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Software Reliability Engineering (Hardcover)

This book takes Mr. Musa's out-of-print classic, Software Reliability: Measurement, Prediction, Application, to the next level. Where his first book spawned an entire body of knowledge and approach to software reliability, this one adds a structured process and extends the foundation provided by the original book into a discipline that is practiced by mature organizations.

The process, called SRET or software reliability engineered testing, is six-step model comprised of the following steps:

(1) List associated systems - includes base products and variations to identify scope and coverage.

(2) Develop operational profiles - break the system down into logical tasks and rate of occurrence (expressed as probabilities)

(3) Define "just right" reliability - this is the tough part and is thoroughly covered. The essential elements of this step include: determining failure (discrepancy between system behavior and user requirements) and faults (system implementation defects that trigger failures). You next determine the "just right" level of reliability by determining a strategy for measuring failure intensities. This is done by computing a failure intensity objective (FIO) for each system. Brush up on probability and statistics for this step because it is performed using hard quantitative methods.

(4) Prepare for testing - this is the traditional approach employing a test plan and associated test cases, with a distinct difference: the test cases are tied to operational profiles, breaking down a complex process into manageable elements. The more complex the software being tested the more manageable the test process becomes using this structured approach.

(5) Execute test - the book provides detailed information on product testing (also known as user acceptance testing and called "feature testing" in this book), load and regression testing. This full suite of testing types is excellent and shows the detail with which Mr. Musa approaches reliability and quality.

(6) Guide test - this final step in the SRET covers both test and release management. There is much more to this step than simple test management, it also covers continuous metrics gathering and failure prediction.

Also included are a chapter on software reliability models and a template for deploying SRET.

This book differs from Mr. Musa's earlier book in one significant way: it transforms the theoretical approach given in Software Reliability: Measurement, Prediction, Application into a practical approach that can be implemented as a process. The core material from the first book is included in this one, with refinements that have evolved since Mr. Musa's 1987 classic. It merits 5 stars and is essential reading for developers and SQA professionals who design and build mission- or safety-critical applications.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, January 1, 2003

By 

Roberto Minicucci (Florence Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Software Reliability Engineering (Hardcover)

Great book, provides you with fundamentals and advanced of Sw Reliabilty Testing concepts, definitions, examples.
I found it very useful to better understand Sw Testing; my suggestion is to tailor the author's approach, which could seem in some cases heavy to deploy, to your own needs.
Should be part of your background, especially if you work in a testing group.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good starting place, August 7, 2010

By 

Claire Jones (Huntsville, AL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Software Reliability Engineering (Hardcover)

Sadly, Dr. Musa has passed away. His classic on software reliability has helped shape the field. I purchased it and it is a good reference book for the subject.