Open Source Software and Mission-Critical Embedded Systems – Like Oil and Water

The requirements-based development processes dictated by functional safety standards such as IEC 61508, ISO 26262, IEC 62304 and EN 51028 suggest that, like oil and water, Open Source Software (OSS) and mission-critical embedded systems should never be mixed. And yet free access to combined efforts of an invisible army of developers has an obvious commercial appeal, and presents huge incentive for developers of mission-critical embedded systems to leverage from the burgeoning open source community. The ecosystem surrounding the process standards is designed to reflect the process models championed by the standards, with the expectation that the code has been (or is being) designed and developed following a best-practice development process. Starting from a position with OSS where there is code but no requirements turns the ideal process on its head. And yet there are many examples where companies have upgraded existing products to comply with one standard or another, so clearly a 'reverse engineering' approach IS possible. This presentation will debate whether that same 'reverse engineering' approach can justifiably be deployed to accommodate OSS into critical systems. It will reference various functional safety standards to highlight in context the challenges in embracing OSS. And it will propose an OSS deployment process for use in tandem with established automation methods to create appropriate supporting artefacts.