SREPT: software reliability estimation and prediction tool

Abstract Several tools have been developed for the estimation of software reliability. However, they are highly specialized in the approaches they implement and the particular phase of the software life-cycle in which they are applicable. There is an increasing need for a tool that can be used to track the quality of a software product during the software life-cycle, right from the architectural phase all the way up to the operational phase of the software. Also the conventional techniques for software reliability evaluation, which treat the software as a monolithic entity, are inadequate to assess the reliability of heterogeneous systems, which consist of a large number of globally distributed components. Architecture-based approaches are essential to assess the reliability and performance of such systems. This paper presents the high-level design of a software reliability estimation and prediction tool (SREPT), that offers a unified framework consisting of techniques (including the architecture-based approach) to assist in the evaluation of software reliability during all phases of the software life-cycle.