Embedded Software Testing: Developing reliable software from fundamentals to AI-based techniques

Embedded software differs from PC software because it is part of a product rather than the product itself, and its tasks range from automotive control units and industrial machines to life-sustaining medical devices. Testing embedded software requires understanding its unique challenges, including real-time behavior and hardware integration.

Readers will learn how to apply requirements engineering, ensure requirements traceability, and perform automated static analysis alongside professional code reviews. The book covers black-box testing techniques, unit tests, and integration tests to verify hardware/software interaction and system performance, helping readers navigate RTOS, middleware, and concurrency issues. It also shows how AI-based techniques are entering the field of embedded testing.

By the end of this book, readers will be equipped to design, implement, and manage testing strategies for both low and high-integrity embedded software. They will develop a comprehensive understanding of the essentials of test management, quality management standards like ISO 9001, and CMMI. The exercises and solutions will be valuable in gaining the skills needed to tackle complex testing challenges.

What you will learn

● Implement unit tests and coverage.

● Solve unique testing challenges within the embedded software development lifecycle.

● Master requirements traceability and engineering.

● Manage ISO 9001, liability, and CMMI.

● Validate hardware/software integration and interfaces.

● Debug RTOS and concurrency issues.

● Analyze WCET and schedulability.

● Manage test projects, quality, and liability effectively.

Who this book is for

Designed for embedded software engineers, testers, QA professionals, and test managers, this book is ideal for those with a basic understanding of C or C++ and who want to master the software testing environment. It is also designed for developers seeking to enhance their test strategy using AI-based testing techniques and modern automated static analysis.

Table of Contents

1. Foundations

2. Requirements and Testing

3. Review of the Design

4. Automatic Static Code Analysis

5. Code Reviews

6. Black-box Testing Techniques

7. Unit Tests

8. Integration Tests

9. System Tests

10. Testing RTOS and Middleware

11. Testing for Concurrency Issues

12. Worst-case Execution Time Analysis

13. Schedulability Analysis

14. Hardware/Software Interaction Analysis

15. Model-based Testing

16. Using Trace Data for Testing

17. AI-based Testing Techniques

18. Test Management

19. Quality Management

20. Software Testing and Liability Risk

APPENDIX A: Solutions to Exercises

APPENDIX B: Test Documentation

APPENDIX C: User Interface Tests of Infotainment Systems