Comparative Evaluation of Model Transformation Specification Approaches

Model transformations have become a key element of model-driven software development, being used to transform platform-independent models to platform-specific models, to improve model quality, to introduce design patterns and refactorings, and to map models from one language to another. A large number of model transformation notations and tools exist. However, there are no guidelines on how to select appropriate notations for particular model transformation tasks, and no comprehensive comparisons of the relative merits of particular approaches. In this paper we provide a unified semantic treatment of model transformations, and show how correctness properties of model transformations can be defined using this semantics. We evaluate several approaches which have been developed for model transformation specification, with respect to their expressivity, complexity and support for verification, and make recommendations for resolving the outstanding problems concerning model transformation specification.     

SoC通讯体系结构的高层建模技术研究

片上通讯设计是SoC系统设计的关键。本文着重从高层建模上研究SOC通讯体系结构设计。首先概述了SoC的通讯体系结构设计,其次介绍了片上通讯体系结构的高层建模方法,然后介绍了高层片上通讯体系结构的快速仿真方法,最后介绍了我们设计实现的Hi-SoComm系统。     

Bidirectional model transformations in QVT: semantic issues and open questions

We consider the OMG’s queries, views and transformations standard as applied to the specification of bidirectional transformations between models. We discuss what is meant by bidirectional transformations, and the model-driven development scenarios in which they are needed. We analyse the fundamental requirements on tools which support such transformations, and discuss some semantic issues which arise. In particular, we show that any transformation language sufficient to the needs of model-driven development would have to be able to express non-bijective transformations. We argue that a considerable amount of basic research is needed before suitable tools will be fully realisable, and suggest directions for this future research.     

构件式体系结构模型映射的形式化语义

语义一致性是模型驱动开发中模型转换正确性的一个重要标准,但目前模型转换中语义特性保持的定义、描述和验证仍是一个尚未解决的难题.基于软件体系结构,利用范畴理论和代数规范形式化描述体系结构模型及其间的映射关系,使之具有精确的语义.体系结构模型的形式化语义用类型范畴图表来表示,态射合成被用来追踪构件模型之间的关联和映射,不同层次模型间的映射关系用态射和函子来形式化描述.以此为基础,进一步分析了模型转换应保持的语义特性.范畴理论支持图形化建模,可以使模型中的构件关系以及结构特征可视化,有利于对模型转换的理解和追踪.应用研究表明,该描述框架很好地把握了模型驱动开发的实质、过程和要求,为模型转换和模型驱动开发提供了新的认知、设计和语义计算的指导架构.     

Model-driven migration of supervisory machine control architectures

Supervisory machine control is the high-level control in advanced manufacturing machines that is responsible for the coordination of manufacturing activities. Traditionally, the design of such control systems is based on finite state machines. An alternative, more flexible approach is based on task-resource models. This paper describes an approach for the migration of supervisory machine control architectures towards this alternative approach. We propose a generic migration approach based on model transformations that includes normalisation of legacy architectures before their actual transformation. To this end, we identify a number of key concerns for supervisory machine control and a corresponding normalised design idiom. As such, our migration approach constitutes a series of model transformations, for which we define transformation rules. We illustrate the applicability of this model-driven approach by migrating (part of) the supervisory control architecture of an advanced manufacturing machine: a wafer scanner developed by ASML. This migration, towards a product-line architecture, includes a change in architectural paradigm from finite state machines to task-resource systems.     

Toward the automation of a QoS-driven SLA establishment in the Cloud

Composite software as a service (SaaS)-based SOA offers opportunities for enterprises to offer value-added services. The cornerstone for such a business is service level agreements between Cloud customers and Cloud providers. In spite of the hype surrounding composite SaaS, standardized methods that enable a reliable management of service level agreements starting from the SLA derivation from the customer requirements to the SLA establishment between the two stockholders are still missing. To overcome such a drawback, we propose a method for SLA establishment guided by QoS for composite SaaS. Our method provides: (1) a requirement specification language for the Cloud customer to define the composition schemas of the requested services along with its QoS constraints; (2) a Cloud provider offer specification language and method to help in identifying the services and resources that satisfy the customer requirements; and (3) an SLA document definition language and method to specify a deployable composite SaaS on the Cloud. Our approach for SLA establishment embraces model-driven architecture principles to automate the SLA document generation from the customer requirements document. The automation is handled through model transformations along with enrichment algorithms to ensure the generation of complete SLA documents.     

Bridging the gap between formal semantics and implementation of triple graph grammars

The correctness of model transformations is a crucial element for model-driven engineering of high-quality software. A prerequisite to verify model transformations at the level of the model transformation specification is that an unambiguous formal semantics exists and that the implementation of the model transformation language adheres to this semantics. However, for existing relational model transformation approaches, it is usually not really clear under which constraints particular implementations really conform to the formal semantics. In this paper, we will bridge this gap for the formal semantics of triple graph grammars (TGG) and an existing efficient implementation. While the formal semantics assumes backtracking and ignores non-determinism, practical implementations do not support backtracking, require rule sets that ensure determinism, and include further optimizations. Therefore, we capture how the considered TGG implementation realizes the transformation by means of operational rules, define required criteria, and show conformance to the formal semantics if these criteria are fulfilled. We further outline how static and runtime checks can be employed to guarantee these criteria.     

Performance evaluation of network processor architectures: combining simulation with analytical estimation

The designs of most systems-on-a-chip (SoC) architectures rely on simulation as a means for performance estimation. Such designs usually start with a parameterizable template architecture, and the design space exploration is restricted to identifying the suitable parameters for all the architectural components. However, in the case of heterogeneous SoC architectures such as network processors the design space exploration also involves a combinatorial aspect––which architectural components are to be chosen, how should they be interconnected, task mapping decisions––thereby increasing the design space. Moreover, in the case of network processor architectures there is also an associated uncertainty in terms of the application scenario and the traffic it will be required to process. As a result, simulation is no longer a feasible option for evaluating such architectures in any automated or semi-automated design space exploration process due to the high simulation times involved. To address this problem, in this paper we hypothesize that the design space exploration for network processors should be separated into multiple stages, each having a different level of abstraction. Further, it would be appropriate to use analytical evaluation frameworks during the initial stages and resort to simulation techniques only when a relatively small set of potential architectures is identified. None of the known performance evaluation methods for network processors have been positioned from this perspective.We show that there are already suitable analytical models for network processor performance evaluation which may be used to support our hypothesis. To this end, we choose a reference system-level model of a network processor architecture and compare its performance evaluation results derived using a known analytical model [Thiele et al., Design space exploration of network processor architectures, in: Proc. 1st Workshop on Network Processors, Cambridge, MA, February 2002; Thiele et al., A framework for evaluating design tradeoffs in packet processing architectures, in: Proc. 39th Design Automation Conference (DAC), New Orleans, USA, ACM Press, 2002] with the results derived by detailed simulation. Based on this comparison, we propose a scheme for the design space exploration of network processor architectures where both analytical performance evaluation techniques and simulation techniques have unique roles to play.     

Enterprise security pattern: A model-driven architecture instance

To secure their information assets, organizations should seek support from enterprise security architectures. Security patterns are a good way to build and test new security mechanisms, but they have some limitations related to their usability. In previous work, we defined a new type of security pattern called Enterprise Security Pattern. The main objective of these patterns is to provide an instance of model-driven architecture, which offers a solution to recurring problems that have to do with information systems security. In recent years, the hiring of Software as a Service (SaaS) from cloud providers has become very popular. There seem to be many advantages of using these services, but organizations need to be aware of a variety of threats, as well as being prepared to handle them. In another work undertaken previously, we defined an enterprise security pattern called Secure Software as a Service (Secure SaaS), which the organizations could apply to protect their information assets when using SaaS. In this paper, we present different instances of the solution models of the enterprise security pattern Secure SaaS, aiming to verify the risks that an organization would assume if each of the instances were deployed. With this approach, we intend to show how the design decisions adopted when performing the transformations between the solution models can have a direct impact on the security provided by the pattern.     

Refinement and verification in component-based model-driven design

Modern software development is complex as it has to deal with many different and yet related aspects of applications. In practical software engineering this is now handled by a UML-like modelling approach in which different aspects are modelled by different notations. Component-based and object-oriented design techniques are found effective in the support of separation of correctness concerns of different aspects. These techniques are practised in a model-driven development process in which models are constructed in each phase of the development. To ensure the correctness of the software system developed, all models constructed in each phase are verifiable. This requires that the modelling notations are formally defined and related in order to have tool support developed for the integration of sophisticated checkers, generators and transformations. This paper summarises our research on the method of Refinement of Component and Object Systems (rCOS) and illustrates it with experiences from the work on the Common Component Modelling Example (CoCoME). This gives evidence that the formal techniques developed in rCOS can be integrated into a model-driven development process and shows where it may be integrated in computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools for adding formally supported checking, transformation and generation facilities.     

基于软件模拟的SoC功能验证技术研究进展

软件模拟验证在SoC设计中得到了广泛的研究和应用,是目前SoC功能验证的主要方法.文中从高度抽象化、可重用和自动化三个方面梳理和综述了基于软件模拟的SoC功能验证技术的研究进展.同时,基于断言的验证在SoC的功能验证技术中起到重要的辅助性作用,文中阐述了断言技术的研究进展.最后,对软件模拟验证技术的发展趋势进行了展望.     

Modeling real-time communication systems: Practices and experiences in Motorola

Visual modeling languages and techniques have been increasingly adopted for software specification, design, development, and testing. With the major improvements of UML 2.0 and tools support, visual modeling technologies have significant potential for simplifying design, facilitating collaborations, and reducing development cost. In this paper, we describe our practices and experiences of applying visual modeling techniques to the design and development of real-time wireless communication systems within Motorola. A model-driven engineering approach of integrating visual modeling with development and validation is described. Results, issues, and our viewpoints are also discussed.     

Model-driven engineering of planning and optimisation algorithms for pervasive computing environments

This paper presents a model-driven approach to developing pervasive computing applications that exploits design-time information to support the engineering of planning and optimisation algorithms that reflect the presence of uncertainty, dynamism and complexity in the application domain. In particular, the task of generating code to implement planning and optimisation algorithms in pervasive computing domains is addressed.We present a layered domain model that provides a set of object-oriented specifications for modelling physical and sensor/actuator infrastructure and state-space information. Our model-driven engineering approach is implemented in two transformation algorithms. The initial transformation parses the domain model and generates a planning model for the application being developed that encodes an application’s states, actions and rewards. The second transformation parses the planning model and selects and seeds a planning or optimisation algorithm for use in the application.We present an empirical evaluation of the impact of our approach on the development effort associated with two pervasive computing applications from the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) domain, and provide a quantitative evaluation of the performance of the algorithms generated by the transformations.     

Introducing software architecture specification and analysis in SAM through an example

Software architecture study has become one of the most active research areas in software engineering in the recent years. Although there have been many published results on specification and analysis method of software architectures, information on sound systematic methodology for modeling and analyzing software architectures is lacking. In this article, we present a formal systematic software architecture specification and analysis methodology called SAM and show how to apply SAM to specify a command control (C2) system and to analyze its real-time constraints.     

利用UML-RT序列图支持基于事务的SoC系统级功能验证

SoC基于事务的验证方法面临的一个重要问题是如何设计验证系统级复杂交互行为的事务测试序列。基于场景的序列图是设计人员捕获系统级功能规约的良好方法。本文提出了一种利用UML-RT序列图捕获SoC各个IP核之间的通信协作行为,为基于事务的验证建立高层规约,指导系统级测试序列生成的方法。我们自行开发了一个基于构件的事务验证环境SoC-CBTVE,并在该环境中利用本文的方法对一个典型的SoC设计进行了验证和分析。实验结果表明,利用UML-RT序列图能够捕获SoC系统级IP核之间的复杂通信行为,有效支持SoC系统级功能验证。