You are here: / Tool Qualification

Tag Archive for: Tool Qualification

EN 50128 and EN 50657 support tools

Chapter 6.7 of EN 50128 and EN 50657 support tools and languages defines requirements for software tools that are used in a safety-relevant development process. Project team members in safety projects discuss the content and meaning of this chapter again and again. The following article summarizes the essential requirements and derives a practical guide for use in the project. What EN 50128 and EN 50657 call Supporting Tools is often referred to as Tool Qualification.

Further blog posts on related topics are:

Read more

/by

IEC 61508 – Tool qualification – When? Why? How?

The term tool qualification triggers an unpleasant feeling and uncertainty in many people who deal with functional safety. IEC61508 requires the certification of software tools used for software development. Other functional safety standards also require similar measures. Unfortunately, however, the same terms are not always used. IEC61508 uses the term “certified tools”, often the term “qualified tools” or tool qualification is also used.

Besides the different terms, there are also very different, partly very individual, interpretations of what exactly is to be understood by the topic. The following article attempts to contribute to the clarification of open questions in this complex of topics. The following 3 questions will be answered:

  • Why do functional safety standards require the tool qualification?
  • What are the requirements of IEC61508?
  • How to deal with the topic in a meaningful way?

Read more

/by

Compiler for safety critical software – What needs to be done?

The compiler is the central “tool”, which is required for every software development. It forms the link between the human-readable high-level source code (e.g., C and C ++) and the machine code, interpretable for the hardware processor. For the development of safety critical software according to relevant functional safety standards special requirements apply for the tools used during the development. (Refer to tool qualification blog 1 and blog 2) Such functional safety standards are ISO26262 (car), EN50128 (rail), IEC61508 (automation, general) or DO178C (aerospace).  The compiler plays a special role here. On the one hand, it is the central tool for any development. On the other hand, the measures proposed in the standards can not be fully applied in practice. The blog shows a process from the aerospace industry how to use compiler for safety critical systems. This process can highly be recommended for other industries. Read more

/1 Comment/by

Tool qualification – The pain of functional safety (part 2)!

In the first part (Link) I explained the basic idea, which is behind the tool qualification. I have already given an overview of the four most frequently used measures.
In this article, I will discuss each of these 4 measures in more detail and name the respective advantages and disadvantages. Read more

/1 Comment/by

Importance of Tool Qualification in the FuSa (part 1)!

Importance of Tool Qualification : Many companies and project teams that carry out projects for the first time in the field of functional safety have the impression that the tool qualification is critical to success and involves a great deal of effort. Although the Importance of Tool Qualification is justified, the subject is interestingly often given an not adequate attention.
This effect is very similar in several, very different industries such as aerospace, automotive or industrial automation.
The following article (part 1) therefore deals with this topic. Part 2 can be found here: Tool qualification – The phantom pain of functional safety (part 2)! Read more

/1 Comment/by

Contact

HEICON Global Engineering GmbH
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Martin Heininger
Kreuzweg 22
88477 Schwendi

Phone: +49 7353 – 98 17 81
Mobile: +49 176 – 24 73 99 60

Email: info[at]heicon-ulm.de

IMPRINT  |  DATA PROTECTION