USING TEST ORACLES GENERATED FROM PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION

This paper illustrates how software can be described precisely using L D-relations, how these descriptions can be presented in a readable man ner using tabular notations, and one way such descriptions can be used to test programs. We describe an algorithm that can be used to genera te a test oracle from program documentation, and present the results o f using a tool based on it to help test part of a commercial network m anagement application. The results demonstrate that these methods can be effective at detecting errors and greatly increase the speed and ac curacy of test evaluation when compared with manual evaluation. Such o racles can be used for unit testing, in situ testing, constructing sel f-checking software, and ensuring consistency between code and documen tation.