Frédéric Pothon, ACG Solutions


Name: Frédéric Pothon

Title: Principles and benefits of using DO-330/ED-215 Tool Qualification Considerations document

Abstract:

Some difficulties when applying the DO-178B/ED-12B tool qualification guidance and several typical misinterpretations raised the need for clarifying and providing a more specific guidance to qualify the software tools. The decision to provide a separate "document" instead of updating the DO-178/ED-12B section is to ease the use of the document by tool suppliers not always aware of aeronautical regulations, and also to make possible the use of the same tool qualification approach for other domains such as system, ground based system or automotive.

This presentation will explain how the new definition of the "tool qualification criteria" and "tool qualification levels (TQL)" allow the connection between the domain and the tool qualification guidance, with respect to each domain constraints.

Description of the main principles of this new document will provide keys to take benefit of it to improve both the qualification approach of tools, to make it more relevant and more efficient. Tool reuse, multi-function tools, or commercial tools raised qualification though discussion, are now addressed.

Another benefit of the new Tool Qualification Considerations document is to provide guidelines to take benefit of using a qualified Automatic Code Generator (ACG). Even if this paper does not pretend to address all possible software life cycles and tools, or to exhaustively identify all aspects, typical issues and constraints are discussed. The text proposes several scenarios to satisfy the source code verification objectives, test objectives and the verification of these tests, including structural coverage analysis. The impact of such life cycles on the ACG processes, but also on the software processes are identified.

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