|
|
| Vector Software Newsletter 2008 |
Welcome to our first newsletter for 2008! It's hard to believe we are into April already. To recap what we have been doing lately, 2007 was a growth year for us, and it saw many significant milestones. We successfully opened two new offices, our first International Office in London, United Kingdom, giving us the ability to provide better support to our local customers in Europe and a new office in Dallas, TX. We've also signed on MDS Technology (Korea) and Hirain Technologies (China) to distribute our technology into the fast growing Asia Pacific Region. We look forward to more exciting news on this front over the next several months.
One of the most significant announcements was our integration with Programming Research's QAC/QAC++ static analysis and coding standards enforcement tool chain. Through the VectorCAST GUI, developers are now able to have complete static and dynamic analysis in a single working space. It is something that you, our customers, have asked us for and we have finally found the right solution. Partnering with the largest commercial static analysis tool in the world will help us to continue to deliver the reliability, automation and completeness our tools have become known for.
Finally, we have two new products, VectorCAST Manage and VectorCAST Requirements Gateway, which are designed to further automate the regression test process and requirements traceability process. We believe these products will enable our customers to attain higher levels of software validation and allow them to introduce test much earlier in the process with much higher levels of automation. More details are available in the newsletter.
Thank you once again for your time and we, the Vector Software team, hope you find the newsletter useful. Make sure you check out the useful Tool Tips from our developers, to help you use VectorCAST more effectively.
Kind regards,
Bill McCaffrey
Director of Marketing
|
| Latest News |
New Development Environment Integrations:
We continue to expand the VectorCAST Developer Test Automation Eco-System with new compiler integrations featuring:
These integrations, driven by market demand from semi-conductor companies, provide developers an integrated environment with an automated unit, integration, and system test capability, allowing faster time to market with lower cost and better reliability. Partnering with Vector Software expands our services in the safety critical markets, making the task of testing applications in those key industries easier, said Mark Onions, Product Manager from Keil. The addition of VectorCAST to the popular Keil compiler environment offers developers an unmatched level of testing productivity.
“At Vector Software, we are committed to delivering the industry-leading verification tools that developers of embedded software applications need,” said Bill McCaffrey, director of Marketing at Vector Software. “The integrations with VectorCAST featuring these compiler environments provides several of our largest customers with the ability to automate unit, integration testing, and code coverage on their embedded devices.”
The unique structure of VectorCAST makes it very easy for customers or Vector Software to quickly integrate with new platforms. If you would like to view a current list of shipping embedded environment integrations, please click the following link to our website - Compiler Integrations. (Press Release).
LynuxWorks LynxOS-178 RTOS (Ada/C/C++) Integration:
We've also partnered with LynuxWorks to provide military and avionics markets with Streamlined Certification Solutions. VectorCAST will integrate with the LynxOS-178 RTOS to scan Ada and C/C++ source code, automatically generating the test code necessary to construct executable test harnesses for both host and embedded environments and ensuring that component simulation models are continuously up-to-date. In addition, by employing VectorCAST test procedures into the LynuxWorks’ RSC, developers can significantly decrease the time required for software certification and maintenance across various design projects and minimize the overall costs of avionics equipment.
“Partnering with Vector Software expands our services for the military and aerospace markets and makes the jobs of developers in those key industries easier,” said Robert Day, Vice President of Marketing, LynuxWorks. “The addition of VectorCAST to our expanding testing and certification capabilities allow LynuxWorks to continue leading a new era of safety, security and productivity for critical system development.” (Press Release).
|
| New Products
|
VectorCAST Manage - Regression Test Automation Management:
Many projects have no ability to build or modify, test source code and have the confidence it will work because of the lack of testing. Properly regression testing software applications require the execution of hundreds to thousands of unit and integration test cases and the need to effectively manage the results. Historically, this has been a very difficult, if not impossible and time consuming, process. As the application code changes, so often does the test code have to change. Because of the effort to re-generate test code, regression testing at the unit and integration level is often skipped.
VectorCAST Manage is a comprehensive test automation solution that provides software development projects a single point of control for managing, reporting, and analyzing the results of all VectorCAST test activities. This includes at-a-glance logs and summary reports of all unit, integration, and system verification tests, as well as color-coded pass/fail criteria and progress of the tests within the regression suite.
- Tests can be scheduled and run automatically and unattended 24x7.
- Supports logical environments that map to your application architecture.
- Testing can be controlled on the local host or any other machine on the network.
- Built-in SQL database, to enable regression trend analysis.
- Built-in graphing, to enable data visualization.
- Reporting format enables intuitive navigation from highest to lowest level of project.
- Full command line interface for additional automation.
- Integrated Python interpreter to extend analysis through complex scripting and result reporting.
- Provides automated continuous integration and test capability.
- Daily summary status of project wide test metrics.
- Quality Assurance.
VectorCAST Requirements Gateway - Requirements Traceability:
One of the great challenges of Software Validation today is knowing when the software to be deployed has been tested enough. Achieving 100% code coverage does not mean 100% of the application is complete. In the same way, passing 100% of the test cases does not mean that 100% of the application has been executed. The goal of the VectorCAST Requirements Gateway is to unite requirements with test case results with code coverage with real-time traceability between all three.
The VectorCAST Requirements Gateway permits the flow of test data between the requirements management tool and VectorCAST unit, integration and system testing tools. Through a simple and intuitive interface, developers can quickly and easily link requirements against test cases. Once test cases have been executed, it is possible for the traceability metrics to be viewed from within the VectorCAST framework, or the Requirements Management Tool (Test Name, Test Result {Pass | Fail | none}, Test Coverage {% coverage, type of coverage}).
|
|
Customer Success Story
|
VectorCAST is an Integral part of the EADS DO-178B Environment
EADS Defence & Security uses VectorCAST test automation tools to validate software for their next-generation aircraft, the A400M. These tools are an integral part of the EADS DO-178B development environment. The RTCA DO-178B standard is one of the highest safety critical standards in the world, incorporating the most rigorous software testing and traceability requirements. Groups undertaking DO-178B Level C certification at EADS have been able to test on average up to 350 software lines of code per day, per developer!
The A400M will have one of the largest cargo capacities and longest ranges for aircraft in its class. Its interior also represents a significant technology leap with a full glass cockpit and fly-by-wire. The A400M will operate in many configurations including cargo transport, troop transport, MEDEVAC, aerial refueling, and electronic surveillance. Vector Software is proud to partner with EADS Defence & Security in ensuring the highest safety standards for the ground-breaking A400M. (See the customer reference poster.)
|
|
| VectorCAST, an Integral part of the EADS DO-178B Environment |
Learn More... |
|
| Events |
April 2, 2008 - Irving, TX, US
Wind River Regional Developer Conference |
April 29, 2008 - Chicago, IL, US
Real-Time & Embedded Conference |
April 28 & 29, 2008 - London / England
HighRely, DO-254/DO-178B Training |
May 1, 2008 - Minneapolis, MN, US
Real-Time & Embedded Conference |
May 8, 2008 - Boston, MA, US
Real-Time & Embedded Conference |
May 13 & 14, 2008 - Washington, DC
HighRely, DO-254/DO-178B Training |
|
| Tool Tips |
Q1. How do I get VectorCAST to report the values of All global variables?
Ans: By default, VectorCAST only reports on the values for objects... |
Q2. What is the difference between the Search and Include dirs?
Ans: VectorCAST will not consider any entities declared on the Include list for stubbing. All of these... |
Q3. Can VectorCAST stub "built in" functions, that are part of the C run-time or part of our RTOS?
Ans: Since version 3.3d of VectorCAST, you are allowed to stub these functions using the Library Stubs option... |
Q4. How do I utilize User Code to change the contents of the memory that the void * parameter references inside the stub call?
Ans: The solution is to treat VectorCAST's "User Code tag" as if it were an actual variable in a C/C++ function. For example... |
Q5. How do I manually configure an Runtime Support Package (RSP) for my Compiler Environment?
Ans: Read the whitepaper... |
If you have more questions like this, maybe our knowledgebase already has the answer. You just need your Vector Software "username" and "password" to access it or register now for access.
|
|
