The Linux kernel as flexible product-line architecture

The Linux kernel source tree is huge ($>$ 125 MB) and inflexible (because it is difficult to add new kernel components). We propose to make this architecture more flexible by assembling kernel source trees dynamically from individual kernel components. Users then, can select what component they really need. Hardware vendors can easily support the Linux platform by providing additional separately developed kernel components. We demonstrate how the kernel's build process can be setup for this approach and how individual build processes look like. We use a technique called source tree composition to assemble source trees of components. We demonstrate how it is automated by the tool autobundle. We also propose a kernel component base as central repository of kernel components. It forms a central meeting point for kernel developers and users

Towards the Model-Driven Engineering of Secure yet Safe Embedded Systems

We introduce SysML-Sec, a SysML-based Model-Driven Engineering environment aimed at fostering the collaboration between system designers and security experts at all methodological stages of the development of an embedded system. A central issue in the design of an embedded system is the definition of the hardware/software partitioning of the architecture of the system, which should take place as early as possible. SysML-Sec aims to extend the relevance of this analysis through the integration of security requirements and threats. In particular, we propose an agile methodology whose aim is to assess early on the impact of the security requirements and of the security mechanisms designed to satisfy them over the safety of the system. Security concerns are captured in a component-centric manner through existing SysML diagrams with only minimal extensions. After the requirements captured are derived into security and cryptographic mechanisms, security properties can be formally verified over this design. To perform the latter, model transformation techniques are implemented in the SysML-Sec toolchain in order to derive a ProVerif specification from the SysML models. An automotive firmware flashing procedure serves as a guiding example throughout our presentation.Comment: In Proceedings GraMSec 2014, arXiv:1404.163

Hiding State in CλaSH Hardware Descriptions

Synchronous hardware can be modelled as a mapping from input and state to output and a new state, such mappings are referred to as transition functions. It is natural to use a functional language to implement transition functions. The CaSH compiler is capable of translating transition functions to VHDL. Modelling hardware using multiple components is convenient. Components in CaSH can be considered as instantiations of functions. To avoid packing and unpacking state when composing components, functions are lifted to arrows. By using arrows the chance of making errors will decrease as it is not required to manually (un)pack the state. Furthermore, the Haskell do-syntax for arrows increases the readability of hardware designs. This is demonstrated using a realistic example of a circuit which consists of multiple components

A design method for modular energy-aware software

Nowadays achieving green software by reducing the overall energy consumption of the software is becoming more and more important. A well-known solution is to make the software energy-aware by extending its functionality with energy optimizers, which monitor the energy consumption of software and adapt it accordingly. Modular design of energy-aware software is necessary to make the extensions manageable and to cope with the complexity of the software. To this aim, we require suitable methods that guide designers through the necessary design activities and the models that must be prepared during each activity. Despite its importance, such a method is not investigated in the literature. This paper proposes a dedicated design method for energy-aware software, discusses a concrete realization of this method, and—by means of a concrete example—illustrates the suitability of this method in achieving modularity

A CSP-Based Trajectory for Designing Formally Verified Embedded Control Software

This paper presents in a nutshell a procedure for producing formally verified concurrent software. The design paradigm provides means for translating block-diagrammed models of systems from various problem domains in a graphical notation for process-oriented architectures. Briefly presented CASE tool allows code generation both for formal analysis of the models of software and code generation in a target implementation language. For formal analysis a highquality commercial formal checker is used

hpDJ: An automated DJ with floorshow feedback

Many radio stations and nightclubs employ Disk-Jockeys (DJs) to provide a continuous uninterrupted stream or “mix” of dance music, built from a sequence of individual song-tracks. In the last decade, commercial pre-recorded compilation CDs of DJ mixes have become a growth market. DJs exercise skill in deciding an appropriate sequence of tracks and in mixing 'seamlessly' from one track to the next. Online access to large-scale archives of digitized music via automated music information retrieval systems offers users the possibility of discovering many songs they like, but the majority of consumers are unlikely to want to learn the DJ skills of sequencing and mixing. This paper describes hpDJ, an automatic method by which compilations of dance-music can be sequenced and seamlessly mixed by computer, with minimal user involvement. The user may specify a selection of tracks, and may give a qualitative indication of the type of mix required. The resultant mix can be presented as a continuous single digital audio file, whether for burning to CD, or for play-out from a personal playback device such as an iPod, or for play-out to rooms full of dancers in a nightclub. Results from an early version of this system have been tested on an audience of patrons in a London nightclub, with very favourable results. Subsequent to that experiment, we designed technologies which allow the hpDJ system to monitor the responses of crowds of dancers/listeners, so that hpDJ can dynamically react to those responses from the crowd. The initial intention was that hpDJ would monitor the crowd’s reaction to the song-track currently being played, and use that response to guide its selection of subsequent song-tracks tracks in the mix. In that version, it’s assumed that all the song-tracks existed in some archive or library of pre-recorded files. However, once reliable crowd-monitoring technology is available, it becomes possible to use the crowd-response data to dynamically “remix” existing song-tracks (i.e, alter the track in some way, tailoring it to the response of the crowd) and even to dynamically “compose” new song-tracks suited to that crowd. Thus, the music played by hpDJ to any particular crowd of listeners on any particular night becomes a direct function of that particular crowd’s particular responses on that particular night. On a different night, the same crowd of people might react in a different way, leading hpDJ to create different music. Thus, the music composed and played by hpDJ could be viewed as an “emergent” property of the dynamic interaction between the computer system and the crowd, and the crowd could then be viewed as having collectively collaborated on composing the music that was played on that night. This en masse collective composition raises some interesting legal issues regarding the ownership of the composition (i.e.: who, exactly, is the author of the work?), but revenue-generating businesses can nevertheless plausibly be built from such technologies

High throughput microbalance and methods of using same

The method and apparatus is particularly adapted for providing microbalance measurement of solid materials as part of a combinatorial research program. The method and apparatus contemplate monitoring the response of a resonator holding a sample and correlating the response with mass change in the samples