Software certification for safety-critical systems: A status report

This paper presents an overview and the role of certification in safety-critical computer systems focusing on software and hardware use in the domain of civil aviation. It discusses certification activities according to RTCA DO-178B ldquoSoftware Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certificationrdquo and RTCA DO-254 ldquoDesign Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardwarerdquo. Specifically, certification issues in real-time operating systems, programming languages, software in development tools, complex electronic hardware and tool qualification are discussed. Results of an independent industry survey done by the authors are also presented.