Optimal test profile in the context of software cybernetics

Abstract

Software cybernetics explores the interplay between software theory/engineering and control theory/engineering Following the idea of software cybernetics, the controlled Markov chains (CMC) approach to software testing treats software testing as a control problem. The software under test serves as a controlled object, and the (optimal) testing strategy determined by the theory of controlled Markov chains serves as a controller. The software under test and the corresponding (optimal) testing strategy constitute a closed-loop feedback system, and the software state transitions behave as a Markov chain. The paper analyzes the behavior of the corresponding optimal test profile determined by the CMC approach to software testing. It is shown that in some cases the optimal test profile is Markovian, whereas in some other cases the optimal test profile demonstrates a different scenario. The analyses presented in the paper deepen our understanding of the CMC approach to software testing and are related to software operational profile modeling.