An April 2019 report from the Institute of Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT) makes the point that even though software ‘runs the world’, software security is an afterthought across virtually all industries.
The report states that this lack of software security is actually a National Threat given that this…
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…
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…
Part 3 covered the design of tests, resulting in one or more Module Test Plans. To execute a test plan, one would start with the test plan and a test results template (which could be a copy of the test plan as indicated previously), document the general test information…
What if the best minds of the world got together to generate the optimum requirements specification for human co-habitation? And built it into one large decision matrix to run on the best super-computers?
Decisions would be made solely on objective criteria; no mental arbitration, no skipping steps, no checking…
Most software developers are familiar with the need for and benefits of change control. Usually change control means one thing to a software developer and that is 'commits' to a source code revision control system. Not only do small and regular commits provide significant advantages to large teams of…
It doesn’t take much to remember a time you wish you had “looked before you leaped.” The time you bought furniture that would not fit through the doorway, or the small tree you planted whose roots are now cracking through the sidewalk. Don’t you wish you had given more…
When building a product such as an anti-lock braking system for an automobile, or a railroad, or process control safety system, making sure that the product works as specified is a big part of functional safety. When it is time for the system to engage to prevent an accident,…
I’ve heard this phrase so many times in my life… “<Something> is the best thing since sliced bread.” I personally can’t remember a time when sliced bread was not available, but I certainly remember going to the deli and having them use the slicing machine before handing me a bag…
Cybersecurity continues to be a big problem for the world at large and for control systems specifically. The amount of time and effort that it can take to simply keep all of the security patches up to date on a large control system can be mind boggling. No…