LSTM Encoder-Decoder Dropout Model in Software Reliability Prediction

Numerous methods have been introduced to predict the reliability of software. In general, these methods can be divided into two main categories, namely parametric (e.g. software reliability growth models) and non-parametric (e.g. neural networks). Both approaches have been successfully implemented in software testing applications over the past four decades. Since most software reliability prediction data are available in the form of time series, deep recurrent network models (e.g. RNN, LSTM, NARX, and LSTM Encoder-Decoder networks) are considered as powerful tools to be employed in reliability-related problems. However, the problem of overfitting is a major concern when using deep neural networks for software reliability applications. To address this issue, we propose the use of dropout; therefore, this study utilizes a deep learning model based on LSTM Encoder-Decoder Dropout to predict the number of faults in software and assess software reliability. Experimental results show that the proposed model has better prediction performance compared with other RNN-based models.