Functional Testing and Verification and Validation Solutions for Embedded Systems
Embedded systems cannot easily be defined however, there is the "intelligence' found in most of the ordinary items that we find useful and indispensable in our everyday life like the mobile phone device, iPod, TV, internet router and including the air traffic control system. The embedded schemes have certainly infiltrated our daily lives and makes up almost 90% of the value of these devices that we often take for granted. Testing embedded schemes needs to be done as a preventive measure to ensure the safety and performance of the devices. This is also important as preventive and corrective measures for quality.
With testing of the embedded schemes, the devices can be "debugged" or removing defects. The debugging is done by the software developers in order to assure that the devices are of the highest quality not only in terms of performance but productivity. Testing embedded schemes consist of an actual evaluation of the application including some of its components as against a criterion. The testing is done according to its behavior, performance and robustness which are measurable and can easily be validated. The testing guarantees the quality of the software product while still in the development process.
Functional testing differs from the embedded schemes testing since the functional testing or black box testing is based upon the specifications of the software components. It involves five steps which are the identification of the various functions that the software will perform, the creation of an input data based upon the specifications of the function, the determination of the output based upon the function specifications, the execution of the test and finally the comparison between the actual and the expected results.
Embedded systems Design are also found in medical, nuclear and the avionics industry that it is therefore critical to undergo the testing in order to safeguard safety and quality. There are prevailing standards on the software development for the avionic industry since these embedded devices are critical to their performance and to preservation of life. A similar criterion is also observed in testing embedded devices in transportation and medical industries since these are critical to the safety of human life. If the software is not tested for quality and performance the effects might result to a system failure or a catastrophic failure of the whole system. This is the rationale behind testing embedded devices which should meet all the mandatory requirements for all levels of equipments and devices.