INF5906 – Selected topics in static analysis
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
Programming errors are, depending on the application, annoying till intolerable. Many theoretical methods have been developed to prove the correctness of programs. However, in practice the effort to verify realistic programs is immense, or often even unmanagable, so these methods are applied only in the most safety-critical applications and/or in special areas, for instance, hardware verification. To routinely eliminate errors in industrial programs, in contrast, only methods which identify a wide range of often encountered program errors efficiently and automatically, are acceptable.
Static analysis is a generic term for many such approaches. Examples of such approaches are
- identify type inconsistencies by type checking,
- potential nil-pointer derefencing,
- security checks when downloading Java-applets,
- estimations of communication overhead, and
- resource bound checkes.
The name ``static'' analysis is justified by the fact that the anylysis is done at compile time, not at run time,
The course treats selected topics from the text book Error: Reference resolver with name '' not found, e.g.,
- data flow analysis and control flow analysis
- interprocedural analysis
- abstract interpretation
- type- and effect systems
- algorithmic questions
Error: Reference resolver with name '' not found Flemming Nielson, H.R. Nielson, C. Hankin. Principles of Program Analysis. Springer-Verlag 1999.
Learning outcome
The course gives an introduction to static analysis, emphasizing some basic techniques. You will learn about the principles behind static analysis and how to apply basic analysis techniques.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Teaching
2 hours lecture per week.
Examination
Oral or written exam.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Other
It is strongly recommended to attend the first lecture since it will be given important information.