We present results from the ESVW activity (Evaluierung von Software-Verifikationsmethoden und -Werkzeugen, Evaluation of Software Verification Method and Tools) BSSE and its subcontractor etamax space GmbH have performed on behalf of the German Space Center (DLR). In the course of this activity, six different verification tools were evaluated for their fault detection capabilities. The presentation provides an insight into the activity, the methods used, the results as well as general and specific lessons learned relevant for the use of software verification tools.

Six software verification tools have been applied to space flight software and the findings reported by each tool have been compared in order to derive footprints of the tools regarding capabilities of fault identification. Currently available results are provided in this paper: sensitivity and precision of individual tools and combinations of pairs of tools out of the set. A reader should bear in mind that the results as presented here depend on the spectrum of fault types as present in the reference software and on the configuration of tools towards real defects and fault types which are of interest for embedded systems and space flight software.