Lightweight fault-localization using multiple coverage types
Raul Santelices,James A. Jones,Yanbing Yu,Mary Jean Harrold +3 more
- 16 May 2009
- pp 56-66
TL;DR: The empirical results show that the cost of fault localization using combinations of coverage is less than using any individual coverage type and closer to the best case (without knowing in advance which kinds of faults are present), and using inferred data-dependence coverage retains most of the benefits of combinations.
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Abstract: Lightweight fault-localization techniques use program coverage to isolate the parts of the code that are most suspicious of being faulty. In this paper, we present the results of a study of three types of program coverage—statements, branches, and data dependencies—to compare their effectiveness in localizing faults. The study shows that no single coverage type performs best for all faults—different kinds of faults are best localized by different coverage types. Based on these results, we present a new coverage-based approach to fault localization that leverages the unique qualities of each coverage type by combining them. Because data dependencies are noticeably more expensive to monitor than branches, we also investigate the effects of replacing data-dependence coverage with an approximation inferred from branch coverage. Our empirical results show that (1) the cost of fault localization using combinations of coverage is less than using any individual coverage type and closer to the best case (without knowing in advance which kinds of faults are present), and (2) using inferred data-dependence coverage retains most of the benefits of combinations.
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Figures
Table 4. Summary of coverage types per fault. 
Figure 3. Faults with the greatest variations in fault-localization costs. 
Table 3. Average fault-localization costs. 
Figure 5. avg-SBD approx vs. branch coverage. 
Figure 1. Example with three different faults with coverage and suspiciousness values for each. 
Table 5. Difference from the ideal cost, per subject and overall, for individual types and combinations.
Citations
A Survey on Software Fault Localization
TL;DR: A comprehensive overview of a broad spectrum of fault localization techniques, each of which aims to streamline the fault localization process and make it more effective by attacking the problem in a unique way is provided.
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Evaluating and improving fault localization
Spencer Pearson,Jose Campos,René Just,Gordon Fraser,Rui Abreu,Michael D. Ernst,Deric Pang,Benjamin J. Keller +7 more
- 20 May 2017
TL;DR: A design space is identified that includes many previously-studied fault localization techniques as well as hundreds of new techniques, and which factors in the design space are most important, using an overall set of 395 real faults.
466
Spectrum-Based Multiple Fault Localization
Rui Abreu,Peter Zoeteweij,Arjan J. C. van Gemund +2 more
- 16 Nov 2009
TL;DR: Experimental results show that BARINEL typically outperforms current SFL approaches at a cost complexity that is only marginally higher, and this superiority is established by formal proof.
The DStar Method for Effective Software Fault Localization
TL;DR: A technique named DStar (D*) is proposed which can suggest suspicious locations for fault localization automatically without requiring any prior information on program structure or semantics and is found to be more effective at locating faults than all the other techniques it is compared to.
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A theoretical analysis of the risk evaluation formulas for spectrum-based fault localization
Xiaoyuan Xie,Tsong Yueh Chen,Fei-Ching Kuo,Baowen Xu +3 more
- 22 Oct 2013
TL;DR: This work develops an innovative framework based on the concept that the determinant for the effectiveness of a formula is the number of statements with risk values higher than the risk value of the faulty statement.
395
References
Empirical evaluation of the tarantula automatic fault-localization technique
James A. Jones,Mary Jean Harrold +1 more
- 07 Nov 2005
TL;DR: The studies show that, on the same set of subjects, the Tarantula technique consistently outperforms the other four techniques in terms of effectiveness in fault localization, and is comparable in efficiency to the least expensive of the other five techniques.
Visualization of test information to assist fault localization
James A. Jones,Mary Jean Harrold,John Stasko +2 more
- 19 May 2002
TL;DR: A new technique that uses color to visually map the participation of each program statement in the outcome of the execution of the program with a test suite, consisting of both passed and failed test cases is presented.
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Experiments on the effectiveness of dataflow- and control-flow-based test adequacy criteria
Monica Hutchins,Herb Foster,Tarak Goradia,Thomas J. Ostrand +3 more
- 21 May 1994
TL;DR: An experimental study investigating the effectiveness of two code-based test adequacy criteria for identifying sets of test cases that detect faults found that tests based respectively on control-flow and dataflow criteria are frequency complementary in their effectiveness.
On the Accuracy of Spectrum-based Fault Localization
Rui Abreu,Peter Zoeteweij,A.J.C. van Gemund +2 more
- 10 Sep 2007
TL;DR: This work investigates diagnostic accuracy as a function of several parameters (such as quality and quantity of the program spectra collected during the execution of the system), some of which directly relate to test design, and indicates that the superior performance of a particular similarity coefficient, used to analyze the programSpectrum-based fault localization, is largely independent of test design.
Fault localization with nearest neighbor queries
M. Renieres,Steven P. Reiss +1 more
- 06 Oct 2003
TL;DR: A method for performing fault localization using similar program spectra and a generic method for establishing the quality of a report, based on the way an "ideal user" would navigate the program using the report to save effort during debugging.
762
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