Integrating role graphs: a tool for security integration

Role-based access control provides a very flexible set of mechanisms for managing the access control of a complex system with many users, objects and applications. The role graph model of Nyanchama and Osborn is one example of how role administration algorithms can be implemented. In our previous research, we have also shown how the access control information of existing systems can be extracted and represented as a role graph. In this paper, we extend this research by showing how, when two systems are being integrated, their role graphs can also be integrated.     

VIFOR: A tool for software maintenance

VIFOR is a software tool oriented towards maintenance of medium-to-large Fortran77 programs. With VIFOR, programs can be displayed and edited in two forms: as the code and as the graph. VIFOR also contains transformations in both directions, i.e. from code to graph and from graph to skeletons of code. Hence, it is suitable for re-engineering and maintenance of existing code. Specially designed browsers implement the graphical interface. VIFOR contains a database that is based on a simple but effective data model of Fortran programs. The model contains only four entity classes and three relations, which makes the tool small, and easy to implement and use. A simple query language allows browsing through the database.     

Testing software components for integration: a survey of issues and techniques

Component‐based development has emerged as a system engineering approach that promises rapid software development with fewer resources. Yet, improved reuse and reduced cost benefits from software components can only be achieved in practice if the components provide reliable services, thereby rendering component analysis and testing a key activity. This paper discusses various issues that can arise in component testing by the component user at the stage of its integration within the target system. The crucial problem is the lack of information for analysis and testing of externally developed components. Several testing techniques for component integration have recently been proposed. These techniques are surveyed here and classified according to a proposed set of relevant attributes. The paper thus provides a comprehensive overview which can be useful as introductory reading for newcomers in this research field, as well as to stimulate further investigation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Virtual Battery: A testing tool for power-aware software

Virtualization is an inexpensive and convenient method for setting up software test environments. Thus it is being widely used as a test tool for software products requiring high reliability such as mission critical cyber-physical systems. However, existing virtualization platforms do not fully virtualize the battery subsystem. Therefore, it is difficult to test battery-related features of guest systems. In this paper, we propose Virtual Battery, a battery virtualization scheme for type II full virtualization platforms. Virtual Battery takes the form of an ACPI-compatible battery device driver dedicated to each virtual machine, which virtualizes a target system. Through Virtual Battery, developers can easily manipulate the charging and battery status of each virtual machine (VM), regardless of the existence or current status of the host system’s battery. In addition, Virtual Battery emulates the behavior of batteries by discharging the virtual batteries according to the resource usages of their VMs. This feature enables VMs to act as battery resource containers. Three case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.     

PpcProject: An educational tool for software project management

The University degrees about engineering in general, and software engineering in particular, contain subjects related with Project Management. In this subject, the most commonly used software for practical classes and homework is MS-Project. Nevertheless, the students find that MS-Project is not easy to use and that it requires a high knowledge about Project Management and about the use of the software package. To fill this gap, a new educational software tool, called PpcProject, has been developed and introduced in Software Project Management classes in front of MS-Project. When assessed in practical classes, it was shown to be more useful for educational purposes than Microsoft Project both, in terms of usability and of students performance.     

Sandmark-A tool for software protection research

Sandmark is a tool that measures the effectiveness of software-based methods for protecting software from piracy, tampering, and reverse engineering. The Sandmark team's goal is to develop techniques that will let users determine empirically which algorithms have the least performance overhead and the highest resilience to attacks.     

A software tool for top-down programming

Top-down design and programming methods have become well established in both commercial and academic environments. However, a programmer using such methods faces a number of organizational difficulties. This paper describes a software tool, written in Pascal, which eliminates these difficulties. It allows a programmer to interactively develop programs in a top-down fashion.     

DataTurbo：一种插件化数据交换与集成工具*

介绍了笔者研发的一种基于统一数据模型和扩展数据流模型实现的插件化数据交换和集成工具DataTurbo,它以示例驱动的界面引导用户将可配置的功能插件快速、灵活地组合构成数据流程,实现自动、稳健和高效的数据物化集成。统一数据模型降低了以往ETL工具使用中由数据存储格式和语义差异造成的复杂性,同时提高了插件和工具的可扩展性。扩展数据流模型支持流程事务的定义和基于共享状态的异步事件响应,前者通过模型变换,为流程添加易于理解的控制信息;后者允许系统快速响应异常事件。DataTurbo已经成功部署并服务于广州市番禺区     

KEEL: a software tool to assess evolutionary algorithms for data mining problems

This paper introduces a software tool named KEEL which is a software tool to assess evolutionary algorithms for Data Mining problems of various kinds including as regression, classification, unsupervised learning, etc. It includes evolutionary learning algorithms based on different approaches: Pittsburgh, Michigan and IRL, as well as the integration of evolutionary learning techniques with different pre-processing techniques, allowing it to perform a complete analysis of any learning model in comparison to existing software tools. Moreover, KEEL has been designed with a double goal: research and educational. Supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology under Projects TIN-2005-08386-C05-(01, 02, 03, 04 and 05). The work of Dr. Bacardit is also supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant GR/T07534/01.     

Design patterns for open tool integration

Design tool integration is a highly relevant area of software engineering that can greatly improve the efficiency of development processes. Design patterns have been widely recognized as important contributors to the success of software systems. This paper describes and compares two large-grain, architectural design patterns that solve specific design tool integration problems. Both patterns have been implemented and used in real-life engineering processes.     

Definitions of tool integration for environments

Tool integration is not a property of a single tool, but of its relationships with other elements in the environment, chiefly other tools, a platform, and a process. Tool integration is about the extent to which tools agree. The subject of these agreements may include data format, user-interface conventions, use of common functions, or other aspects of tool construction. A framework that determines how well tools are integrated into an environment and that defines integration independently of the mechanisms and approaches used to support integration is proposed. Process, data, control, and presentation integration properties are described separately so as to identify them as clearly and independently as possible. Emphasis is placed on definitions of integration properties on relationships between tools rather than on the specific integration-support mechanisms     

Wiki as a corporate learning tool: case study for software development company

In our study, we attempted to further investigate how Web 2.0 technologies influence workplace learning. Our particular interest was on using Wiki as a tool for corporate exchange of knowledge with the focus on informal learning. In this study, we collaborated with a multinational software development company that uses Wiki as a corporate tool since 2001. For our research, we used three different sources for acquisition of data. Primarily, we did an interview with top management. Next we acquired the data on usage statistics from the company Wiki. And finally we distributed a questionnaire in order to acquire users' feedback. Analysis provided many interesting results. One of the main conclusions is that Wiki is successfully used in this company, and large majority of employees finds it useful. Additionally, Wiki did aid informal learning, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.     

A dedicated microcomputer for handwritten interaction with a software tool: system prototyping

This paper describes a microcomputer-based system dedicated to on-line character recognition for handwriting communication with a software tool. The prototype allows a user to interact with the tool from a digitizer, to develop the complete procedure of a computer program with the help of alphanumeric and graphic symbols, without any command entry.     

QFD: a methodological tool for integration of ergonomics at the design stage

As a marked increase in the number of musculoskeletal disorders was noted in many industrialized countries and more specifically in companies that require the use of hand tools, the French National Research and Safety Institute launched in 1999 a research program on the topic of integrating ergonomics into hand tool design. After a brief review of the problems of integrating ergonomics at the design stage, the paper shows how the "Quality Function Deployment" method has been applied to the design of a boning knife and it highlights the difficulties encountered. Then, it demonstrates how this method can be a methodological tool geared to greater ergonomics consideration in product design.     

TAUS：A File—Based Software Understanding Tool

A program called TAUS,a Tool for Analyzing and Understanding Software,was developed.It is designed to help the programmer analyze and understand the software interactively.Its aim is to reduce the dependence on human intelligence in software understanding and improve the programmer‘s understanding productivity.The design and implementation of TAUS and its applications are described.     

A non-invasive object-oriented tool for software testing

A non-invasive approach for capture and playback (C&P) can be a very useful tool for testing applications endowed of a graphic user interface in local and/or distributed environments, and in general for testing applications without modifying their run-time environment. In the software lifecycle, the phases ofC&P are performed after the application design. Since these are close to the delivery deadline, the time needed for application testing is considered as a high, and frequently unacceptable, cost. In this paper, a new approach for non-invasiveC&P testing techniques is proposed. This is strongly based on the object-oriented paradigm at both hardware and software levels. In particular, a new board for image grabbing and pattern matching, and a new object-oriented language for specifying the tests have been defined. The main goals of this new approach are (i) the reduction of testing time by supporting the reuse of tests (coded by using a specific language) at each level of abstraction, and (ii) the anticipation of the capture-phase of testing with the system design.