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Software Certification - Coding, Code, and CodersWe describe a certification approach for software development that has been adopted at our organization. JPL develops robotic spacecraft for the exploration of the solar system. The flight software that controls these spacecraft is considered to be mission critical. We argue that the goal of a software certification process cannot be the development of "perfect" software, i.e., software that can be formally proven to be correct under all imaginable and unimaginable circumstances. More realistically, the goal is to guarantee a software development process that is conducted by knowledgeable engineers, who follow generally accepted procedures to control known risks, while meeting agreed upon standards of workmanship. We target three specific issues that must be addressed in such a certification procedure: the coding process, the code that is developed, and the skills of the coders. The coding process is driven by standards (e.g., a coding standard) and tools. The code is mechanically checked against the standard with the help of state-of-the-art static source code analyzers. The coders, finally, are certified in on-site training courses that include formal exams.
Document ID
20150006916
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Havelund, Klaus
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Holzmann, Gerard J.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
April 29, 2015
Publication Date
October 8, 2011
Subject Category
Computer Programming And Software
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Conference on Embedded Software (EMSOFT)
Location: Taipei
Country: Taiwan, Province of China
Start Date: October 9, 2011
End Date: October 14, 2011
Sponsors: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
training
certification coding
statoc analysis
coding standards

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