Software Maintenance and categories of maintenance | Software Engineering

Def: It is the process of modifying the software after it has delivered to customer. 

But why we will modify after the delivery?

Ans: There can be different reasons we can modify the software for the improvements, We can modify the software to correct the faults captured by the customer/ End-user.

Need of maintenance:

We may feel need of the maintenance for the following reasons

• Interface with other system: May be our software is working in a the environment where after some time the company feel need to link it with other system so we will modify it according to company requirements to make it interface able with other system.

• Correct the faults:  This is the most common reasons to update a software. That is fault correction and every computer and smartphone user know that we receive updates on our mobiles and OS in computer almost on daily basis which claims minor bug fixes and all that some time we do this when software start working in the practical environment and start showing bugs, to fix them we perform maintenance.

• Improve the design: This is another reason, have you ever notice facebook, Google Play (android app store) they always keep changing the design this is also the maintenance type or you can category.

• Implement Enhancement:  May be company like the software you develop for them and they want to add some more features into it so they will call you now its your turn to add some enhancement now it will fall under the category of maintenance. 

• Security patches: If the software is sensitive, security would be priority so Hackers keep finding new and new ways to get into your software and you keep closing the doors off for the hackers into your software those methods you use to close the doors are known as security patches. 

Don't forget to check Software Quality Assurance lecture

Categories of Maintenance:

• Preventive Maintenance: In this category we always try to predict the problems that can create issue for us in future and we try to over come those problem in advance.For Example: Our researcher see the software is getting slow when more than 10 people are using it through different nodes but the software is designed for the 50 people, it means if it is getting slow on 10 users so when it will reach its maximum limit it will stop working or perform badly so the developers of the software take action instantly before the number of its user reach up to maximum limit.

• Corrective Maintenance : sometime we found a big which is disturbing the working of the software we found that and try to remove it instantly to put the software back on smooth working is called corrective maintenance. 

• Perfective Maintenance: New features keep coming in the software industry on daily basis, Your software should remain compatible with those or it will be outdated, to keep your software compatible you need to perform prefective maintenance. 

• Adaptive Maintenance:  May be your software is the first love of your client but He is moving from Windows to MAC OS and want to keep using the same software now you have to make changes in the software to adopt the new OS environment that is know as adaptive changes. 

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