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Unification of Software Reliability Models by Self-Exciting Point Processes

Part of: Stochastic processes Computer system organization Special processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2016

Yiping Chen  and
Nozer D. Singpurwalla
Yiping Chen*
Affiliation:
AT&T Bell Laboratories
Nozer D. Singpurwalla*
Affiliation:
The George Washington University
*
∗ Postal address: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920, USA.
∗∗ Postal address: The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
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Abstract

Assessing the reliability of computer software has been an active area of research in computer science for the past twenty years. To date, well over a hundred probability models for software reliability have been proposed. These models have been motivated by seemingly unrelated arguments and have been the subject of active debate and discussion. In the meantime, the search for an ideal model continues to be pursued. The purpose of this paper is to point out that practically all the proposed models for software reliability are special cases of self-exciting point processes. This perspective unifies the very diverse approaches to modeling reliability growth and provides a common structure under which problems of software reliability can be discussed.

Keywords

POINT PROCESSESRELIABILITY GROWTHSOFTWARE QUALITYSTOCHASTIC PROCESSES

MSC classification

Primary: 68M15: Reliability, testing and fault tolerance
Secondary: 60G55: Point processes 60K10: Applications (reliability, demand theory, etc.)

Information

Type
General Applied Probability
Information
Advances in Applied Probability , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , June 1997 , pp. 337 - 352
Copyright
Copyright © Applied Probability Trust 1997 

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