The Test Plan
Assessment requires evidence that module tests are designed properly, run properly, and have been successfully run. Documented test results are also required. In order to meet these requirements it is generally a good idea to document a test plan for each module. Information that applies…
Last week you learned about what exactly a module is, and examples of different types of modules. Now we will move on to interfaces, the need for module testing, and code coverage requirements.
An interface, such as the 3D printer’s communication interface, or the format of the 3D data…
A recent, disturbing trend I’ve seen in industrial control system (ICS) security is that, in response to concerns about the security of their ICS & SCADA systems, companies are performing penetration (pen) testing on operational systems. Often times they request these services as one of the first steps in…
3D printers are cool! I watched a TED talk this past year about them. I know they have been around for over 30 years, but I still think they’re cool. As I watched, I thought of the wheel for my dishwasher’s roll-out rack, which had…
Now that you know the step-by-step process of product certification, now let’s take a look at the actual information on the certificate.
In the left panel (gray background) you will find an exida certification logo. …
So you downloaded a product certificate from the exida website and you are trying to understand the information documented in the certificate. Also, you likely want to know what stands behind the certificate and what was involved in the certification of the product.
I’m not…
If you were going to build a bridge, you would want to make sure that it did not fall down if there were too many cars on the bridge. One way that this is accomplished is to overdesign. If the bridge is expected to hold at most 20,000 pounds,…
In today’s modern society there is an increasing demand for “safer” products/systems, which have to meet increasingly demanding standards. The management of “risk” is a major factor in ensuring that a product/system can meet its design objectives, as well as satisfying the required standards and, even more importantly, meeting…
I am working on a SIL verification project and just had to share some observations.
For this project, the customer decided to choose a logic solver for which no data is listed in the exida Safety Equipment Reliability Handbook (SERH). One could…
Olympic athletes don’t wake up one day and decide to compete in the Olympics. They don’t arrive at the games by chance or coincidence. Their journey starts long before the games begin. They are often influenced and inspired by watching others or by their own interests. They may begin…
Congratulations! You’ve completed the Analysis and Realization phases of the Safety Lifecycle, and are about to begin the Operation phase, but what’s next? Well obviously you need to do proof testing, but is there anything else? You may be familiar with the figure below:
I was recently approached with a question regarding why it would be necessary to certify mechanical devices, such as valves, per IEC 61508 when it is not clearly stated in the standard that the standard is applicable to such devices. After looking through IEC 61511 and
Everyone wants data, and generally everyone agrees high quality proven in use data is the best. Properly designed experimental testing is one means to simulate actual operation. That is what we all learned as far back as high school during our chemistry and physics labs. These tests can…
About 5 years ago I was sitting around a big table in a conference room at a major LNG terminal. Outside the window I could see a big city harbor filled with boats, bridges, sky scrapers and approximately 5 million people. I could also see two huge LNG storage…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is tasked with many things. One area of focus is Industrial Control Systems (ICS). The Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group (ICSJWG) was formed to facilitate this focus. This group holds semi-annual conferences (Spring and Fall) in various US cities. These meetings…
