Fault-based software testing method and system

1. A fault-based software testing method, comprising:

(a) generating a plurality of error programs by injecting faults into a testing target program;

(b) grouping the fault-injected error programs into a plurality of groups using a set of test data, and selecting at least one of the fault-injected error programs in each group as being a representative error program of said each group; and

(c) executing the representative error program of each group using the set of test data, and upon detecting an error in a result of the execution, determining that the error is detected for all fault-injected error programs in said each group with respect to the set of test data.

2. The fault-based software testing method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) comprises:

analyzing the testing target program;

receiving an error type list;

generating the faults using the received error type list; and

generating the plurality of error programs by injecting the generated faults into the testing target program.

3. The fault-based software testing method of claim 2 , wherein the error type list includes types of errors predicted to occur frequently in a system of the same type as the testing target program.

4. The fault-based software testing method of claim 1 , wherein the grouping comprises:

grouping ones of the fault-injected error programs into a same group when the ones of the error programs produce a same result with respect to the set of test data.

5. The fault-based software testing method of claim 4 , further comprising:

finding the ones of the error programs producing the same result with respect to the set of test data, including identifying a set of the error programs that produce a same intermediate result with respect to the set of test data as being the ones of the error programs.

6. A fault-based software testing system, comprising:

an error program generating unit configured to receive a testing target program and an error type list, analyze the testing target program, generate faults corresponding to the received error type list, and generate a plurality of error programs by injecting the generated faults into the testing target program;

an error program grouping unit configured to group the fault-injected error programs into a plurality of groups using a set of test data, and select at least one of the fault-injected error programs in each group as being a representative error program for said each group;

a representative error program executing unit configured to execute the selected representative error program of each group using the set of test data; and

a test result analyzing unit configured to determine, upon detecting an error in a result of the execution of a representative error program by the representative error program executing unit, that the error is detected in all fault-injected error programs in the group to which the representative error program belongs.

7. The fault-based software testing system of claim 6 , wherein the error type list received by the error program generating unit includes types of errors predicted to occur frequently in a system of the same type as the testing target program.

8. The fault-based software testing system of claim 6 , wherein the error program grouping unit is configured to group ones of the error programs into a same group when the ones of the error programs produce a same result with respect to the set of test data.

9. The fault-based software testing system of claim 8 , wherein the error program grouping unit is configured to find the ones of the error programs producing the same result with respect to the set of test data by identifying a set of the error programs that produce a same intermediate result with respect to the set of test data as being the ones of the error programs.