Includes bibliographical references and index.

Chapter 1: Introduction; 1.1 Introduction: Software Failures and the Investigation Thereof; 1.2 Objectives, Scope and Context of This Book; 1.3 Main Terminology Used in This Book: Definitions; 1.4 Layout of This Book: How to Use the Rest of the Book; Chapter 2: Software Failures: An Overview; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Overview of Software Failures; 2.3 Overview of Major Software Failures; 2.4 Software Failures According to Industry; 2.5 Requirements for Accurate Software Failure Investigation; 2.6 Conclusion; Chapter 3: Near-Miss Analysis: An Overview; 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Background and Review on Near-Miss Analysis3.3 Tools and Techniques Used in Near-Miss Analysis; 3.4 Benefits of Near Miss-Analysis Over Failure Analysis; 3.5 Benefits of Analysing Near Misses Instead of Earlier Precursors; 3.6 Near-Miss Analysis Success Stories; 3.7 Challenges to Near-Miss Analysis in the Software Industry; 3.8 A Structured Approach Towards Applying Near-Miss Analysis for Software Failure Investigations; 3.9 Conclusion; Chapter 4: A Methodology for Investigating Software Failures Using Digital Forensics and Near-Miss Analysis; 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Overview of Digital Forensics4.3 Motivation for Using Digital Forensics for Software Failure Investigations; 4.4 Digital Forensic Building Blocks; 4.4.1 Overview of Best Practices in Digital Forensics; 4.5 The Adapted Digital Forensic Process Model for Software Failure Investigations Incorporating the Use of Near-Miss Analysis; 4.5.1 Phase 1: Evidence Collection; 4.5.2 Phase 2: System Restoration; 4.5.3 Phase 3: Root-Cause Analysis; 4.5.4 Phase 4: Countermeasures Specifications 4.6 Interfacing the Proposed "Adapted Digital Forensic Process Model for Software Failure Investigations" with Existing IT Governance Frameworks such as ITIL4.7 Conclusion; Chapter 5: A Well-Defined Model for Near-Miss Detection and Prioritisation; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Formal Definition of a Near Miss for Software Systems; 5.3 Overview of Reliability Theory and Failure Probability Formula for IT Systems; 5.4 The Reliability Theory of Redundant Hardware Components; 5.5 Failure Probability Formula for Hardware Components; 5.6 Proposed Failure Probability Formula for Software Components 5.7 Mathematical Modelling for Near-Miss Failure Probability5.8 Prioritisation of Near Misses and the Near-Miss Prioritisation Formula; 5.9 Conclusion; Chapter 6: An Architecture for a Near-Miss Management System (NMS); 6.1 Introduction; 6.2 The NMS Architecture; 6.3 The Near-Miss Monitor; 6.4 The Near-Miss Classifier; 6.5 The Near-Miss Data Collector; 6.6 The Failure Prevention; 6.7 The Event Investigation; 6.8 Conclusion; Chapter 7: Practical Demonstration of Conducting a Near-Miss Analysis Investigation for Software Failures; 7.1 Introduction; 7.2 The Aims of the Prototype

This book reviews existing operational software failure analysis techniques and proposes near-miss analysis as a novel, and new technique for investigating and preventing software failures. The authors provide details on how near-miss analysis techniques focus on the time-window before the software failure actually unfolds, so as to detect the high-risk conditions that can lead to a major failure. They detail how by alerting system users of an upcoming software failure, the detection of near misses provides an opportunity to collect at runtime failure-related data that is complete and relevant. They present a near-miss management systems (NMS) for detecting upcoming software failures, which can contribute significantly to the improvement of the accuracy of the software failure analysis. A prototype of the NMS is implemented and is discussed in the book. The authors give a practical hands-on approach towards doing software failure investigations by means of near-miss analysis that is of use to industry and academia. Investigates software failures in an operational environment through near-miss analysis; Studies recent and major software failures of significant magnitude; Provides a design of an architecture for a Near-Miss Management System.