ABSTRACT
Built-in self-test is a common feature for integrated circuits in which additional hardware and soware functions allow checking for correct operation while the system is running, in contrast with the use of externally applied tests. A similar concept-embedded assertions-has been used for decades in soware, and advances in programming languages and processor performance have made this method even more useful and practical. It can be especially eective with combi natorial testing. If the system is fully exercised with t-way tests, and assertions are thorough, we can have reasonable condence that operation will be correct for up to t-way combinations of input values. In addition to standard programming language features, a variety of specialized tools have been developed to make this approach easier and more eective.
