The pros and cons of using SDL for creation of distributed services

In a competitive market for the creation of complex distributed services, time to market, development cost, maintenance and flexibility are key issues. Optimizing the development process is very much a matter of optimizing the technologies used during service creation. This paper reports on the experience gained in the Service Creation projects SCREEN and TOSCA on use of the language SDL for efficient service creation

Measuring data transfer in heterogeneous IoT environments

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de ComputadoresInternet of Things (IoT) is characterised by the heterogeneity of the used devices, which leads to information exchange problems. To address these problems, the Plug’n’Interoperate approach is used, where the steps needed to perform the information exchange between devices are described by interoperability specifications (IS) and are operated by the devices. However, more than one IS can exist to describe the information exchange between each pair of devices, so to choose the suitable IS, there is the need to measure the information exchange described by each one. To do this, there already exist some methods. But, they rely on a deep understanding of the IS and the data formats involved. To overcome this, an advanced measurement method is presented. This method advances by measuring the data transfer provided by an IS, without the need of specific knowledge about it. This measurement does that, by relying only on an abstract view of the data transfer and providing results that allows the benchmarking of the entire interoperability performance of the IoT environment. Thus allowing the comparison of different IS without the need of being specialized on them

Towards flexible and efficient model-based testing, utilizing domain-specific modelling

Model-Based Testing is a test automation technique that generates test cases based on a model of the system under test. Domain-specific modelling is a modelling approach where the developed system is modelled in terms of domain-specific concepts and these models are automatically transformed to other forms such as application code. In this paper, we will discuss the adoption and integration of domain-specific modelling with model-based testing tools. Since model-based testing tools utilise various modelling notations that typically diverge from a specific domain-model, we will discuss how domain specific models can be automatically transformed to become suitable models for a chosen model-based testing tool. Furthermore, by doing this in terms of a domain-specific meta-model, we will allow one to switch between various model-based testing tools

Model morphisms (MoMo) to enable language independent information models and interoperable business networks

MSc. Dissertation presented at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of Universidade Nova de Lisboa to obtain the Master degree in Electrical and Computer EngineeringWith the event of globalisation, the opportunities for collaboration became more evident with the effect of enlarging business networks. In such conditions, a key for enterprise success is a reliable communication with all the partners. Therefore, organisations have been searching for flexible integrated environments to better manage their services and product life cycle, where their software applications could be easily integrated independently of the platform in use. However, with so many different information models and implementation standards being used, interoperability problems arise. Moreover,organisations are themselves at different technological maturity levels, and the solution that might be good for one, can be too advanced for another, or vice-versa. This dissertation responds to the above needs, proposing a high level meta-model to be used at the entire business network, enabling to abstract individual models from their specificities and increasing language independency and interoperability, while keeping all the enterprise legacy software‟s integrity intact. The strategy presented allows an incremental mapping construction, to achieve a gradual integration. To accomplish this, the author proposes Model Driven Architecture (MDA) based technologies for the development of traceable transformations and execution of automatic Model Morphisms

Sustainability of systems interoperability in dynamic business networks

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de ComputadoresCollaborative networked environments emerged with the spread of the internet, contributing to overcome past communication barriers, and identifying interoperability as an essential property to support businesses development. When achieved seamlessly, efficiency is increased in the entire product life cycle support. However, due to the different sources of knowledge, models and semantics, enterprise organisations are experiencing difficulties exchanging critical information, even when they operate in the same business environments. To solve this issue, most of them try to attain interoperability by establishing peer-to-peer mappings with different business partners, or use neutral data and product standards as the core for information sharing, in optimized networks. In current industrial practice, the model mappings that regulate enterprise communications are only defined once, and most of them are hardcoded in the information systems. This solution has been effective and sufficient for static environments, where enterprise and product models are valid for decades. However, more and more enterprise systems are becoming dynamic, adapting and looking forward to meet further requirements; a trend that is causing new interoperability disturbances and efficiency reduction on existing partnerships. Enterprise Interoperability (EI) is a well established area of applied research, studying these problems, and proposing novel approaches and solutions. This PhD work contributes to that research considering enterprises as complex and adaptive systems, swayed to factors that are making interoperability difficult to sustain over time. The analysis of complexity as a neighbouring scientific domain, in which features of interoperability can be identified and evaluated as a benchmark for developing a new foundation of EI, is here proposed. This approach envisages at drawing concepts from complexity science to analyse dynamic enterprise networks and proposes a framework for sustaining systems interoperability, enabling different organisations to evolve at their own pace, answering the upcoming requirements but minimizing the negative impact these changes can have on their business environment

Simple Framework for Efficient Development of the Functional Requirement Verification-specific Language

Докторска теза анализира предлог за имплементацију верификације функционалних програмских захтева. Предмет истраживања је проналажење свих релевантних стандарда, препорука и најбољих пракси, а затим особина и функционалности прате дате стандарде и препоруке у области верификације. Истраживање потом проналази постојећа релевантна решења и њихову усклађеност са датим особинама и функционалностима. Резултат истраживања је развој доменски-специфичног језика за верификацију функсионалних програмских захтјева који имплементира све особине и функционалности чиме потврђује исправност концепта.Doktorska teza analizira predlog za implementaciju verifikacije funkcionalnih programskih zahteva. Predmet istraživanja je pronalaženje svih relevantnih standarda, preporuka i najboljih praksi, a zatim osobina i funkcionalnosti prate date standarde i preporuke u oblasti verifikacije. Istraživanje potom pronalazi postojeća relevantna rešenja i njihovu usklađenost sa datim osobinama i funkcionalnostima. Rezultat istraživanja je razvoj domenski-specifičnog jezika za verifikaciju funksionalnih programskih zahtjeva koji implementira sve osobine i funkcionalnosti čime potvrđuje ispravnost koncepta.The doctoral thesis analyzes the proposal for implementing the verification of functional software requirements. The subject of the research is to find all relevant standards, recommendations, and best practices, and then to examine the features and functionalities that follow the given standards and recommendations in the field of verification. The research then identifies existing relevant solutions and their compatibility with the given features and functionalities. The result of the research is the development of a domain-specific programming language for the verification of functional requitements that implements all the features and functionalities, thus confirming the correctness of the concept

Métodos y Herramientas para el Diseño y Verificación de Sistemas de Comunicaciones Móviles

El objetivo de esta Tesis ha sido la consecución de tecnología para el diseño y mantenimiento eficientes, en coste temporal y económico, de Sistemas de Pruebas para equipos de comunicaciones inalámbricas. El proceso de diseño elaborado se ha basado en un conjunto de principios básicos: uso de lenguajes y notaciones ITU, independencia de la plataforma de ejecución y uso de herramientas comerciales. En esta Tesis se describe: a) Una arquitectura genérica para Sistemas de Pruebas. b) Una Metodología de Diseño de Sistemas de Pruebas. c) Un conjunto de herramientas de soporte. d) Una propuesta de metodología para el modelado con SDL. e) La aplicación a Sistemas de Pruebas de capa física de la arquitectura, métodos y herramientas utilizados en el área de protocolos. f) Un conjunto de implementaciones que validan las aportaciones anteriores