1,673 research outputs found
Towards an I/O Conformance Testing Theory for Software Product Lines based on Modal Interface Automata
We present an adaptation of input/output conformance (ioco) testing
principles to families of similar implementation variants as appearing in
product line engineering. Our proposed product line testing theory relies on
Modal Interface Automata (MIA) as behavioral specification formalism. MIA
enrich I/O-labeled transition systems with may/must modalities to distinguish
mandatory from optional behavior, thus providing a semantic notion of intrinsic
behavioral variability. In particular, MIA constitute a restricted, yet fully
expressive subclass of I/O-labeled modal transition systems, guaranteeing
desirable refinement and compositionality properties. The resulting modal-ioco
relation defined on MIA is preserved under MIA refinement, which serves as
variant derivation mechanism in our product line testing theory. As a result,
modal-ioco is proven correct in the sense that it coincides with traditional
ioco to hold for every derivable implementation variant. Based on this result,
a family-based product line conformance testing framework can be established.Comment: In Proceedings FMSPLE 2015, arXiv:1504.0301
Category Theory and Model-Driven Engineering: From Formal Semantics to Design Patterns and Beyond
There is a hidden intrigue in the title. CT is one of the most abstract
mathematical disciplines, sometimes nicknamed "abstract nonsense". MDE is a
recent trend in software development, industrially supported by standards,
tools, and the status of a new "silver bullet". Surprisingly, categorical
patterns turn out to be directly applicable to mathematical modeling of
structures appearing in everyday MDE practice. Model merging, transformation,
synchronization, and other important model management scenarios can be seen as
executions of categorical specifications.
Moreover, the paper aims to elucidate a claim that relationships between CT
and MDE are more complex and richer than is normally assumed for "applied
mathematics". CT provides a toolbox of design patterns and structural
principles of real practical value for MDE. We will present examples of how an
elementary categorical arrangement of a model management scenario reveals
deficiencies in the architecture of modern tools automating the scenario.Comment: In Proceedings ACCAT 2012, arXiv:1208.430
A synthesis of logic and biology in the design of dependable systems
The technologies of model-based design and dependability analysis in the design of dependable systems, including software intensive systems, have advanced in recent years. Much of this development can be attributed to the application of advances in formal logic and its application to fault forecasting and verification of systems. In parallel, work on bio-inspired technologies has shown potential for the evolutionary design of engineering systems via automated exploration of potentially large design spaces. We have not yet seen the emergence of a design paradigm that combines effectively and throughout the design lifecycle these two techniques which are schematically founded on the two pillars of formal logic and biology. Such a design paradigm would apply these techniques synergistically and systematically from the early stages of design to enable optimal refinement of new designs which can be driven effectively by dependability requirements. The paper sketches such a model-centric paradigm for the design of dependable systems that brings these technologies together to realise their combined potential benefits
Principles of Component-Based Design of Intelligent Agents
Compositional multi-agent system design is a methodological perspective on multiagent system design based on the software engineering principles process and knowledge abstraction, compositionality, reuse, specification and verification. This pape
A Case Study in Coordination Programming: Performance Evaluation of S-Net vs Intel's Concurrent Collections
We present a programming methodology and runtime performance case study
comparing the declarative data flow coordination language S-Net with Intel's
Concurrent Collections (CnC). As a coordination language S-Net achieves a
near-complete separation of concerns between sequential software components
implemented in a separate algorithmic language and their parallel orchestration
in an asynchronous data flow streaming network. We investigate the merits of
S-Net and CnC with the help of a relevant and non-trivial linear algebra
problem: tiled Cholesky decomposition. We describe two alternative S-Net
implementations of tiled Cholesky factorization and compare them with two CnC
implementations, one with explicit performance tuning and one without, that
have previously been used to illustrate Intel CnC. Our experiments on a 48-core
machine demonstrate that S-Net manages to outperform CnC on this problem.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for PLC 2014 worksho
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