Generalized renewal process (GRP) for the analysis of software reliability growth model

With the rapid advancement in computer technology, software reliability plays a very significant role in predicting the performance and assuring the quality of the software. A compromise testing effort is necessary to affirm the pre-defined quality of the software at optimum cost by detecting and eliminating errors in the software. In this investigation, a robust solution for software reliability growth model (SRGM) which is applicable to non-perfect repair condition called generalized renewal process (GRP) is proposed. The GRP includes the renewal process (RP) and non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) as special cases by suitable choice of index parameters. The optimal testing time of the software is determined for a large and complex modular software system wherein each module has a different failure rate and other characteristics. Maximum likelihood approach is used to estimate the GRP parameters. Numerical illustrations are provided to explore the effect of various parameters on maintenance cost.