ISO IEC TR 15942-2000 PDF

Full title and description

ISO/IEC TR 15942:2000 — Information technology — Programming languages — Guide for the use of the Ada programming language in high integrity systems. This Technical Report provides guidance for applying the Ada language when developing safety‑, security‑ and mission‑critical systems, translating general standards and sector requirements into Ada‑specific practices and verification considerations.

Abstract

This Technical Report summarizes guidance on selection and use of Ada language features, identification of language elements that require extra verification, use and qualification of tools (including code generators and compilers), and practices to aid verification and validation when building high integrity systems. It is intended as guidance (not normative requirements) to help demonstrate compliance with sector or domain standards (for example IEC 61508, DO‑178B and others).

General information

• Status: Published (Technical Report).
• Publication date: March 16, 2000.
• Publisher: ISO/IEC (JTC 1 / SC 22 — Programming languages).
• ICS / categories: 35.060 (Information technology — Programming languages).
• Edition / version: Edition 1.0 (2000).
• Number of pages: 48 pages.

Key bibliographic facts above are taken from the ISO/IEC publication record and the IEC/ISO webstore entry for this Technical Report.

Scope

The Report provides non‑normative guidance for development of systems in Ada where high levels of integrity are required. It assumes a system is being developed to meet an external standard or sector requirement and translates general verification, validation and assurance needs into Ada‑specific practices — for example, how to interpret requirements for exhaustive testing in the presence of Ada generics, how to treat language features that complicate analysis, and how to evaluate generated code. Domain‑specific or hardware/system‑specific concerns, and human‑factors topics, are identified as out of scope.

Key topics and requirements

• Mapping generic safety/security requirements to Ada language features (which features aid verification and which require extra checks).
• Guidance on testing and dynamic verification in Ada (including considerations for generics and instantiated code paths).
• Use and qualification of tools: compiler qualification, code generators, and design tools that produce Ada source.
• Recommendations for documenting verification and validation approaches when using Ada in certified environments.
• Advice on mitigating risks introduced by language features (concurrency, low‑level constructs, interfacing) and on coding choices that improve analyzability and testability.

These topic areas summarize the Technical Report’s guidance to developers, tool vendors and certificating bodies.

Typical use and users

Typical users include software engineers and architects working in safety‑critical or high‑integrity domains (avionics, railway signalling, medical devices, nuclear and space systems), tool and compiler vendors, verification and validation teams, and certification/assessment bodies who must interpret or apply sector standards to Ada‑based implementations. The Report helps teams prepare documentation and verification evidence required by sector standards.

Related standards

The Report references and aligns with a range of sector and generic standards used in high integrity development, including IEC 61508 (functional safety), DO‑178B (avionics software guidance), ISO/IEC 15408 (security evaluation concepts), EN 50128 (railway software), and other Ada‑related standards such as ISO/IEC 15291 (ASIS). It is published under ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 22 and complements other programming‑language and assurance publications.

Keywords

Ada; high integrity; safety‑critical; verification; validation; compiler qualification; code generation; tool qualification; programming languages; assurance; certification.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: It is ISO/IEC TR 15942:2000, a Technical Report giving guidance for use of the Ada programming language in high integrity systems (non‑normative guidance rather than mandatory requirements).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers how to select and use Ada language features to aid verification, which language constructs need extra verification steps, guidance on using and qualifying compilers and code‑generating tools, and how to translate sector‑level assurance requirements into Ada‑specific practices.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Software developers and architects in safety‑ or mission‑critical industries, verification teams, tool and compiler vendors, and certification/assessment authorities involved with Ada‑based systems.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document was published in March 2000 as Edition 1. According to the ISO/IEC publication records it remains the issued Technical Report from 2000; users should check the official ISO/IEC catalog or national adopting bodies for any later confirmations, revisions or national adoptions before relying on it for current certification processes.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is a Technical Report produced under ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 22 (programming languages) and is related to other Ada and assurance standards (for example ISO/IEC 15291 for ASIS). It complements normative standards addressing language definition, tools, and sector‑specific assurance requirements.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Ada, high integrity, safety‑critical, verification, validation, compiler qualification, tool qualification, code generation, assurance.