ABSTRACT
DO-178B is the prevailing software design assurance guidelines for over two decades. At the end of 2012, an updated version of this venerable “standard” was published by the RTCA. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency have since formally recognized this update for use of future projects, although many projects will likely be grandfathered under the B version for many years to come. This chapter provides a solid introduction to the changes in the core DO-178 document, as well as the technical supplements. The largest technical addition centered on documenting and verifying configuration data that have become common in modern avionics design. When one picks up DO-178C for the first time, one could be forgiven for thinking the committee simply slapped a new cover page on and called it good. The overall structure of DO-178B was retained, and there were no section deletions, additions, or major reordering.
