On the Accuracy of Spectrum-based Fault Localization

Spectrum-based fault localization shortens the test- diagnose-repair cycle by reducing the debugging effort. As a light-weight automated diagnosis technique it can easily be integrated with existing testing schemes. However, as no model of the system is taken into account, its diagnostic accuracy is inherently limited. Using the Siemens Set benchmark, we investigate this 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. Our results indicate that the superior performance of a particular similarity coefficient, used to analyze the program spectra, is largely…