Software Evolution Approach for the Development of Command and Control Systems

2000 Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (CCRTS), June 11-13, 2000, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CAThis paper addresses the problem of how to produce reliable software that is also flexible and cost effective for the DoD distributed software domain. DoD software systems fall into two categories: information systems and war fighter systems. Both types of systems can be distributed, heterogeneous and network-based, consisting of a set of components running on different platforms and working together via multiple communication links and protocols. We propose to tackle the problem using prototyping and a “wrapper and glue” technology for interoperability and integration. This paper describes a distributed development environment, CAPS (Computer- Aided Prototyping System), to support rapid prototyping and automatic generation of wrapper and glue software based on designer specifications. The CAPS system uses a fifth-generation prototyping language to model the communication structure, timing constraints, I/O control, and data buffering that comprise the requirements for an embedded software system. The language supports the specification of hard real-time systems with reusable components from domain specific component libraries. CAPS has been used successfully as a research tool in prototyping large war-fighter control systems (e.g. the command-and-control station, cruise missile flight control system, missile defense systems) and demonstrated its capability to support the development of large complex embedded software.This research was supported in part by the U. S. Army Research Office under contract/grant number 35037-MA and 40473-MA

Real-Time Scheduling for Software Prototyping

This paper presents several real-time scheduling algorithms developed to support rapid prototyping of embedded systems using the Computer Aided Prototyping System (CAPS). The CAPS tools are based on the Prototyping System Description Language (PSDL), which is a high-level language designed specifically to support the conceptual modeling of real-time embedded systems. This paper describes the scheduling algorithms used in CAPS along with the associated timing constraint and hardware models, which include single and multi-processor configurations

Approach for Highly Dependable Software-Intensive Systems

Author-contributed print itemhe objectives of the proposal are creating new methods and tools for effective constructing software-intensive systems based on multiple perspectives that are used to reflect differing stakeholder's concerns. The models and methods will incorporate rapid prototyping, explicit architecting and consistent engineering techniques into a synthesis approach for highly dependable software-intensive systems (HDSIS)

Einsatz wissensbasierter Komponenten in CASE-Werkzeugen : Ergebnisse einer empirischen Untersuchung

Trotz kontinuierlicher Bemühungen um eine Automation der Software-Entwicklung, die mit dem Aufkommen des Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) einen vorläufigen Höhepunkt erreicht hat, ist die Qualität der marktgängigen CASE-Werkzeuge derzeit nicht zufriedenstellend zu beurteilen. Ein zunehmend häufig diskutierter Ansatz zur Verbesserung dieser Situation ist der Einsatz von wissensbasierten Systemen (WES) - als integrierter Bestandteil von CASE-Werkzeugen oder als eigenständige Systeme -, die den Software-Entwickler auf einer höheren Ebene unterstützen können als dies mit Hilfe konventioneller Technologien möglich ist

Dependability-Assured Software Transformation

The proposed research is to create new paradigm of software transformation and analysis tools that will incorporate computer-aided prototyping system (CAPS) into dependability-assured software transformational platform (DAST) for highly dependable embedded systems (HDES). DAST extends CAPS with software architecting and composition technologies to transform macro dependability (global qualitative requirements) into micro dependability (quantitative constraints). Based upon rapid prototyping, the dependability-assured transformational process from a rapid-prototyped system to the highly dependable embedded system will involve quantitative constraint abstraction in multiple perspectives, software transformation, and formal method applied to verify the correctness of the eventual-evolved system.NSFApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

System Engineering and Evolution Decision Support Interim Progress Report (01/01/2000-09/30/2000)

The objective of our effort is to develop a scientific basis for system engineering automation and decision support. This objective addresses the long term goals of increasing the quality of service provided complex systems while reducing development risks, costs, and time. Our work focused on decision support for designing operations of complex modular systems that can include embedded software. Emphasis areas included engineering automation capabilities in the areas of design modifications, design records, reuse, and automatic generation of design representations such as real-time schedules and software

A graphical rapid prototyper for the Macintosh

The task of designing and building the user interface portion of a Macintosh application is radically different than the same task on a more conventional computer with a conventional operating system. Just the fact that it is radically different makes it very time consuming to learn how to program this portion of a Macintosh application since the programmer has to learn a new way of conceptualizing what must be done to produce the desired results. On top of the fact that it is different is the actual · difference itself. The Macintosh toolbox and operating system provide approximately 600 procedures and functions to use in building the interface. This means it takes quite a few months, if not years, for a Macintosh programmer to really be able to take advantage of all the richness of the toolbox while, at the same time, preventing the toolbox functions from interfering with each other. From personal ·experience and from observing and interacting with many other Macintosh programmers, it is clear that a tool is needed to help the Macintosh programmer bypass this bottleneck to developing useful applications that really take advantage of all the Macintosh is capable of delivering to a finished application. The Oregon Speedcode project is a very powerful tool for rapidly prototyping applications for the Macintosh. It provides a complete prototyping environment under one umbrella, from building resources to' specifying a sequence to generating source code that can be compiled into a stand alone Macintosh application. Most of the work a programmer has to do is based on the idea of direct manipulation of graphical objects. This provides an environment where the programmer can concentrate on the task of translating abstract concepts of what an interface should be into a Macintosh application without having to learn a command syntax and without having to do hours of typing. The graphical sequencer portion of Oregon Speedcode Universe allows an incremental approach to prototyping the user interface by providing a simulation mode to play back the design as it is specified. By working directly- with the objects that make up the interface the programmer remains in very close contact with the final product as it is being built. Al.though this project focused specifically on the Macintosh, the ideas and concepts learned during the process of building this tool can be applied to other computers and operating systems that incorporate the support for bit-mapped graphics and provide a toolbox to build and manipulate standard user interface objects such as menus, windows, dialogs, alerts, etc

Dynamic Assembly for System Adaptability, Dependability, and Assurance

(DASASA) ProjectAuthor-contributed print ite