What is avionics dead code?
DO-178B dead code is executable (binary) software that will never be executed during runtime operations. D0178B generally does not allow for the presence of dead code: it must be removed. Dead code does not trace to any software requirements, hence does not perform any required functionality. Note that unreferenced variables or functions which are not called (hence are unreferenced) elsewhere in the program are usually removed via the compiler or linker; since they are not present in the binary executable load image, they are not dead code per DO-178B. Our DO178 training provides additional details for handling dead code. What is avionics deactivated code? DO-178B deactivated code is executable (binary) software that will not be executed during runtime operations of a particular software version within a particular avionics box; however, the code may be executed during maintenance or special operations, or be executed within a different or future version of the software within a differ
