Combining Model Refinement and Test Generation for Conformance Testing of the IEEE PHD Protocol Using Abstract State Machines

In this paper we propose a new approach to conformance testing based on Abstract State Machine (ASM) model refinement. It consists in generating test sequences from ASM models and checking the conformance between code and models in multiple iterations. This process is applied at different models, starting from the more abstract model to the one that is very close to the code. The process consists of the following steps: (1) model the system as an Abstract State Machine, (2) generate test sequences based on the ASM model, (3) compute the code coverage using generated tests, (4) if the coverage is low refine the Abstract State Machine and return to step 2. We have applied the proposed approach to Antidote, an open-source implementation of IEEE 11073-20601 Personal Health Device (PHD) protocol which allows personal healthcare devices to exchange data with other devices such as small computers and smartphones.