Challenges in Exploiting Architectural Models for Software Testing

Software architectural modeling offers a natural framework for designing and analyzing modern large-scale software systems and for composing systems from reusable off-theshelf components. However, the nature of componentbased software presents particularly unique challenges for testing component-based systems. To date there have been relatively few attempts to establish a sound theoretical basis for testing component-based software. This paper discusses challenges in exploiting architectural models for software testing. The discussion is framed in terms of the author’s recent work on defining a formal model of test adequacy for component-based software, and how this model can be enhanced to exploit formal architectural models.