On fault coverage of tests for finite state specifications

Abstract

Testing is a trade-off between increased confidence in the correctness of the implementation under test and constraints on the amount of time and effort that can be spent in testing. Therefore, the coverage, or adequacy of the test suite, becomes a very important issue. In this paper, we analyze basic ideas underlying the techniques for fault coverage analysis and assurance mainly developed in the context of protocol conformance testing based on finite state models. Special attention is paid to parameters which determine the testability of a given specification and influence the length of a test suite which guarantees complete fault coverage. We also point out certain issues which need further study.