Safety analysis of software product lines using state-based modeling

The analysis and management of variations (such as optional features) are central to the development of safety-critical, software product lines. However, the difficulty of managing variations, and the potential interactions among them, across an entire product line currently hinders safety analysis in such systems. The work described here contributes to a solution by integrating safety analysis of a product line with model-based development. This approach provides a structured way to construct a state-based model of a product line having significant, safety-related variations. The process described here uses and extends previous work on product-line software fault tree analysis to explore hazard-prone variation points. The process then uses scenario-guided executions to exercise the state model over the variations as a means of validating the product-line safety properties. Using an available tool, relationships between behavioral variations and potentially hazardous states are systematically explored and mitigation steps are identified. The paper uses a product line of embedded medical devices to demonstrate and evaluate the process and results