Constructing Real Test-Suites Using an Enhanced Simulated Annealing.

In software systems, a common source of bugs are unexpected interactions among systems components. This risk is increased when the number of software components increases. To reduce this risk and ensure software quality, it may be necessary to test all interactions among the components. Combinatorial testing is a method that can reduce cost and increase the effectiveness of software testing for many applications. Covering arrays are combinatorial structures which can be used to represent test-suites. This paper presents a metaheuristic approach based on a simulated annealing algorithm for constructing covering arrays. The experimental design solved a benchmark reported in the literature and it is proposed a new bechkmark based on real test-cases. Experimental evidence showed that the simulated annealing algorithm equals or improves the obtained results by other approaches reported in the literature, finding the optimal solution in some of the solved cases.