Open Source Summit Europe 2024

In order to make functional safety claims on SW components, having a clear understanding of the underlying software architecture is crucial. However, if SW architectural documentation is missing, understanding how software operates and how its parts fit together can be challenging. For the Linux kernel and many other OSS SW, such documents are absent and instead, analysts must rely on code, which can be hard to read.
ks-nav is a tool designed to help in reverse engineering and understanding the code by generating diagrams that highlight the interactions between code elements and sub-elements.

ks-nav relies on binary images instead of source code analysis to get rid of the uncertainty introduced by configurations, compiler optimizations, and any other toolchain related issues. Additionally, using the MAINTAINERS file, it precisely pinpoints subsystems, enabling users to delve into their interactions with clarity.

This session focuses on:
* Why understanding the code is critical in FuSa activities;
* How ks-nav works, how it addresses the various challenges of analyzing the code;
* An example of how ks-nav can be used to support an expert-driven FMEA for a specific use case.