Test Case Generation for Critical Systems through a Collaborative Web-Based Tool

Tests play a major role in validating software. In particular, the role becomes more important when considering critical software such as for space applications as is the case in the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil. Such software uses finite state machines (FSM) in order to model the software specification from which test sequences are generated for a black box test approach. As the software for space applications is considered as a complex system with several components (usually in parallel), test designers seem to look for other alternatives instead of modeling via FSM. This paper addresses an experience in the modeling issue in using Statecharts to represent the specification of space application software from which test sequences can be generated. Moreover, it also describes a web-based tool in order to facilitate software testing, from models specified in Statecharts, in a distributed environment.