A reliability growth model is a mathematical model of how software reliability improves as errors are detected and repaired. A reliability growth model can be used to predict when (or if at all) a particular level of reliability is likely to be attained. Thus, reliability growth modeling can be used to determine when to stop testing to attain a given reliability level. Although several different reliability growth models have been proposed, but here we discuss only two very simple reliability growth models.
Jelinski and Moranda Model -The simplest reliability growth model is a step function model where it is assumed that the reliability increases by a constant increment each time an error is detected and repaired. Such a model is shown in fig. 27.1. However, this simple model of reliability which implicitly assumes that all errors contribute equally to reliability growth, is highly unrealistic since it is already known that correction of different types of errors contribute differently to reliability growth.
Littlewood and Verall’s Model -This model allows for negative reliability growth to reflect the fact that when a repair is carried out, it may introduce additional errors. It also models the fact that as errors are repaired, the average improvement in reliability per repair decreases (Fig. 27.2). It treat’s an error’s contribution to reliability improvement to be an independent random variable having Gamma distribution. This distribution models the fact that error corrections with large contributions to reliability growth are removed first. This represents diminishing return as test continues.