DO-178B

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The standard DO-178B , also known by the English name Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification (German as: guidelines for certification of avionics software ) is a standard for software development in the safety-critical area of aviation . It was developed by the RTCA . The EUROCAE has fully adopted this standard, it that in Europe officially named ED-12B carries. The aviation authorities FAA and EASA require compliance with the standard for the software development process . Evidence is provided on the basis of the documentation and is a prerequisite for qualifying software for use in aviation. One often speaks of a certification of the software . However, EASA and most of the military authorities in Europe only know the concept of certification for a complete aircraft. For this reason it is not easily possible to transfer software from one aircraft to another.

Depending on the functions that software is supposed to fulfill, it can jeopardize the safety of the aircraft to a greater or lesser extent. Depending on the hazard effects, different requirements are placed on the development process. Just as the IEC 61508 standard defines the safety requirement levels SIL 4 to SIL 0 for the industrial sector , the five levels DAL A to E ( Development Assurance Level ) are used in aviation , from “catastrophic” to “no impact”. The DAL scale is defined in the DO-254 standard , which, in accordance with DO-178B, applies to hardware. Software must be classified in one of these levels. Depending on this, different development methods are allowed or prescribed and there are different documentation and review obligations.

The successor standard DO-178C / ED-12C was completed in December 2011 and has been available since January 2012.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Clifton A. Ericson, II: Concise Encyclopedia of System Safety: Definition of Terms and Concepts , Wiley, 2011, ISBN 978-0-470-92975-9 , limited preview in Google Book Search.
  2. ↑ RTCA: List of Available Documents, September 2012 (English; PDF; 1.3 MB), p. 77, accessed on February 9, 2013

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