LDRA’s New Build Import Integrates with Yocto, Facilitating Software Test of Complex Modular Systems

Integration enables embedded developers to jump through layers of abstraction in diverse, complex build systems to extract what they need for static and dynamic analysis and unit test.

WIRRAL, England--()--LDRA today announced integration with Yocto, a collaborative project that enables developers to build on open source tools to create complex embedded systems. Leveraging a build import within the LDRA tool suite, LDRA integrates into these complex projects, enabling embedded developers using Yocto to jump through layers of abstraction in diverse and complex build systems and quickly extract the information they need for static and dynamic analysis, as well as unit test.

Yocto’s aim to unify and improve software practices in open source embedded systems is strongly complemented by LDRA’s goal to facilitate modular design through the re-use of these components in safety critical systems. Automotive companies already using LDRA’s build to test entertainment systems, airbags and brakes have increased the safety and security of these Yocto-integrated systems as they bridge into autonomous vehicles.

“As embedded projects have evolved to complex computer systems, build technology brings the various modules together, and requirements around safety, security and quality become increasingly complex to verify,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. “No one person can know exactly how each module is built, nor how the code interacts between the modules. Because LDRA’s build import shows how code is built, it uncovers the exact information needed for standards compliance and application certification.”

Build import helps ensure high fidelity software

Native for Linux, Windows and MacOS, LDRA’s new build import is extensible and API ready, making it easy to customize. Used in combination with the LDRA tool suite, embedded developers can move directly into static analysis and unit testing of their application. Historically, applications such as braking systems, were embedded into a specific microcontroller, and developed and tested independently from the rest of the system.

Automotive systems, however, are following the trend of avionics’ IMA (integrated modular avionics) architecture, and the embedded controller is now a software module built into a larger system. When it comes to functional safety testing in this environment, the ability to decompose the system and understand each module is critical, particularly since tools like Yocto—while helping structurally organize a system—create a lack of transparency that increases complexity. With the build import, the testing team always has a build expert on staff to offer the answers required to build a safety case.

To properly certify complex systems to rail’s IEC TC 9, automotive’s ISO 26262, and aerospace’s DO-178C, where rigorous static and dynamic analysis and unit testing are mandated, embedded developers need to be able to fully analyze how the individual modules and systems are built and interact. LDRA’s build import integrated with Yocto shows the power and flexibility afforded by the build import methodology.

LDRA tool suite reflects industry best practices

The LDRA tool suite helps developers build quality into their software development lifecycle. It is a suite of software standards compliance, testing, and verification tools that reflect industry best practices to help ease the development of high-quality safety- and security-critical products. Its open and extensible platform is unique in its integration of software lifecycle traceability, static and dynamic analysis, unit test, and system-level testing on virtually any host or target platform.

Additional information about how LDRA helps software development teams build safety into their aerospace systems is available at https://ldra.com/automotive/ or https://ldra.com/aerospace-defence/

About LDRA

For more than 40 years, LDRA has developed and driven the market for software that automates code analysis and software testing for safety-, mission-, security-, and business-critical markets. Working with clients to achieve early error identification and elimination, and full compliance with industry standards, LDRA traces requirements through static and dynamic analysis to unit testing and verification for a wide variety of hardware and software platforms. Boasting a worldwide presence, LDRA has headquarters in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and India coupled with an extensive distributor network. For more information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit http://www.ldra.com/.

Readers may direct questions to:

Mark James
Email: mark.james@ldra.com

Contacts

Media contacts:

Kelly Wanlass, Hughes Communications, Inc., Media Relations
Tel: +1 (801) 602-4723, Email: kelly@hughescom.net

Mark James, LDRA, Marketing Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 151 649 9300, Email: mark.james@ldra.com