Formal Approaches To Testing 2002 (FATES'02)

A satellite workshop of CONCUR'02

Brno, Czech Republic, August 24th 2002

Proceedings

Motivation

Testing is an important technique for validating and checking the correctness of software. However, the production and application of effective and efficient tests is typically extremely difficult, expensive, laborious, error-prone and time consuming. Formal methods are a way of specifying and verifying software systems by applying techniques from mathematics and logic. This enables the developer to analyze system models and reason about them with mathematical precision and rigour. Thus both formal methods and software testing can be used to improve software quality.

Traditionally, formal methods and testing have been seen as rival approaches. However, in recent years a new consensus has developed. Under this consensus, formal methods and testing are seen as complementary. In particular, it has been shown that the presence of a formal specification can assist the test process in a number of ways. The specification may act as an oracle or as the basis for systematic, and possibly automatic, test generation. In conjunction with test hypotheses or a fault model, formal specifications have also be used to allow stronger statements, about test effectiveness, to be made. It is possible that the contribution to testing will be one of the main benefits of using formal methods.

Objective and Scope

The aim of FATES is to be a forum for researchers and developers to present ideas about and discuss the use of formal methods in software testing. The scope includes topics such as formal test theory, testing techniques, test tools and test applications, as well as:

Different aspects of testing: test derivation; test implementation and execution; test generation algorithms; result analysis; test selection; coverage; etc.

Different kinds of testing: functional; conformance; performance; security; robustness etc.

Different formal methods: state-based; model-based; logical; process algebra; automata; algebraic data types; LOTOS; SDL; Z; VDM, etc.

Different application areas: communication systems; control systems; embedded software; administrative systems; etc.

Invited Speaker

Elaine Weyuker, AT&T Labs, US

Submissions

Regular papers, either research results or experience reports, position papers and tool demonstrations are solicited as contributions to FATES. Submissions, with a maximum of 15 pages, will be reviewed for technical quality and for compliance with the workshop objectives. Accepted contributions are expected to be presented at the workshop. Submissions can be sent, preferably electronically, to one of the following. Electronic submissions should ideally be in either PDF or Postscript that can be read by Ghostview. You may submit a paper by either sending an electronic version to fates@brunel.ac.uk or post a version to one of the co-chairs.

Important dates

Programme committee co-chairs

Robert M. Hierons
Department of Information Systems and Computing,
Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex,
UB8 3PH, United Kingdom

email: rob.hierons@brunel.ac.uk
tel: +44 1895 816281
fax: +44 1895 251 686

Thierry Jéron
IRISA / INRIA Rennes
Campus de Beaulieu
35042 Rennes
France

email: Thierry.Jeron@irisa.fr
tel: +33 2 99 84 74 64
fax: +33 2 99 84 71 71

Programme committee (provisional)

Further information

For further information, see the CONCUR'02 Web Site or email one of the co-chairs.

Sponsorship

This workshop is sponsored by the EPSRC Formal Methods and Testing network.