An optimal software reliability design integrating the allocation model and the N‐version programming technique

The problem of optimal software reliability design is considered. Allocation models are usually used to compute the target reliability for each module of a software system to maximize the overall system reliability. This objective can also be achieved by employing redundancy, e.g. N‐version programming technique (NVP). A method bridging the allocation model and redundancy approach is derived. The proposed model simultaneously determines both the optimal amount of redundancy and target reliability for each module to achieve the best reliability while the total cost stays within the budget.