DO-178C Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification
The standard DO-178C "Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification" is the commonly used standard for softwares in the avionics industry.It has been elaborated by RTCA (Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) in a tight cooperation with EUROCAE (European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment) which has published the corresponding guidelines in the standard procedures instruction ED-12C.
The document has been released early 2012 and replaces the standard DO-178B. DO-178C / ED-12C covers the full engineering lifecycle: planning, development (requirements/design/implementation), testing, verification and certification.
Criticality Levels
The different DO-178C-levels are defined according to the possible consequences of a software error:Level A: Catastrophic
Level B: Hazardous/Severe
Level C: Major
Level D: Minor
Level E: No Effect
Test Coverage for DO-178C
According to the Criticality Levels the following test coverage (code coverage) is required :- DO-178C Level A:
Modified Condition Decision Structural Coverage (MC/DC)
Decision/Condition Structural Coverage
Statement Structural Coverage
- DO-178C Level B:
Decision/Condition Structural Coverage
Statement Structural Coverage
- DO-178C Level C:
Statement Structural Coverage -
DO-178C Certification with Testwell CTC++
Testwell CTC++ Test Coverage Analyser for C and C++ analyses for all test coverage modes required by DO-178C.
It shows you Statement Coverage, Decision/Condition Coverage, Modified Condition Decision Structural Coverage (MC/DC) and b.t.w. Multiple Condition Coverage (which is one level higher than MC/DC-Coverage).
For this reason Testwell CTC++ can be used in order to get the DO-178C certification for all levels (A, B, C. ...).
Testwell CTC++ Test Coverage Analyzer for C and C++ is a user friendly and easy to use test coverage tool that gives clear and simple analysis results.
Because of its low instrumentation overhead Testwell CTC++ can be used when developing embedded software basically for all targets, even for very small ones. Adaptations for all current target systems are provided with the coverage analyser. As the Host-Target-Add-on is provided with the source, Testwell CTC++ can be adapted easily and quickly to any new target.
Testwell CTC++ is used in many safety and mission critical software projects for air and space transportation, rail transportation, automotive industry as well as for medical applications. Some of our references are available from our references page.
Testwell CTC++: more information
Avionics Standard DO-178C: Code Coverage Analysis with Testwell CTC++: Watch the video here
Testwell CTC++ Qualification Kit for DO-178C, EN 50657/EN 50128, IEC 61508, IEC 60880, and ISO 26262
The Qualification Kit for Testwell CTC++ provides documentation, test cases, and procedures that let you qualify Testwell CTC++ Test Coverage Analyser for projects based on the safety standards ISO 26262, IEC 61508, EN-50128, IEC 60880, and DO-178C.
The kit contains tool qualification plans, tool operational requirements, and other materials required for qualifying Testwell CTC++ for usage in security critical projects. > further information
Static Code Analysis
Airbus, Boeing, NASA and many other companies and organizations rely on CodeSecure CodeSonar® to perform static code analysis in DO-178 projects.
As a static analysis tool, CodeSonar is classified by the DO-178B guidance as a software verification tool, as defined in section 12.2 of the guidance. Its use should be qualified on an individual basis by the customer; however, the main uses of CodeSonar to support an organization´s DO-178B activities are outlined below.
The use of CodeSonar is especially applicable to these sections, but CodeSonar also supports various activities and objectives from other chapters. In particular, CodeSonar can provide value throughout the Software Development Process (Ch. 5) and in many cases, the completion of a CodeSonar analysis is a useful transition criterion (Ch. 4).