Electronic equipment is increasingly being used in safety critical environments, and the software used in these products is becoming more and more complex. Exhaustive testing to ensure that there is no situation in which a failure could occur is rarely possible and, therefore, systems must be designed in such a way to prevent failure or ensure controlled behavior if failures arise.
The introduction of standards has been an important factor in ensuring the development of robust software in safety critical applications. Coding standards such as MISRA, which mandate the use of a specific subset of a programming language, have been a major factor in the improvement of software quality. The international standard EN 50128 mandates the use of improved development processes, including the use of coding standards to encourage further gains in software quality.
This paper is split into two sections. The first discusses EN 50128 and how this compares to other process standards, highlighting some of the key differences and similarities. The second section looks in depth at how PRQA tools can be used to help to comply with EN 50128..
The introduction of standards has been an important factor in ensuring the development of robust software in safety critical applications. Coding standards such as MISRA, which mandate the use of a specific subset of a programming language, have been a major factor in the improvement of software quality. The international standard EN 50128 mandates the use of improved development processes, including the use of coding standards to encourage further gains in software quality.
This paper is split into two sections. The first discusses EN 50128 and how this compares to other process standards, highlighting some of the key differences and similarities. The second section looks in depth at how PRQA tools can be used to help to comply with EN 50128..