Improving time-to-market using SDL tools and techniques

In this paper we summarize our experiences in building and integrating new generation, formal-methods based computer aided software engineering tools (CASE) to yield pragmatic improvements in software engineering processes in the telecommunication industry. We define an accelerated development methodology (ADM) for the specification, design, testing and re-engineering of telecommunications software. We identify two of the most significant barriers to adoption of tools and formal methods to speed up software development, namely the requirements engineering barrier and the legacy code re-engineering barrier, and show how the ADM methodology helps to overcome these barriers and improve time-to-market for telecommunications software.Our ADM methodology is based on the most widely accepted formal languages standardized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU):

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This paper emphasizes the following key components of our ADM methodology and their placement within the most common software engineering processes:

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Advanced tools and techniques for automatic parallelization

This paper describes some of the tools and techniques that are being used in the interactive SUPRENUM parallelization system SUPERB. Emphasis is placed on specific problems arising from the interactive nature of the system, in particular the necessity to incrementally update data flow information that is used to determine the applicability and the effect of transformations.     

Integrating techniques and tools for testing automation

This article presents two tools to generate test cases, one for Java programs and one for .NET programs, as well as a structured testing process whereby such tools can be used in order to help in process automation. The main innovation in this work is the joint use of diverse techniques and technologies, which have been separately applied to test automation: reflection to extract the class structure; regular expressions to describe test templates and test cases; JUnit and NUnit as test case execution frameworks; mutation and MuJava as test case quality measurers; serialization to deal with the parameters of complex data types; and once more, reflection, to facilitate the test engineer in the task of writing the oracle. Finally, the article presents an experiment carried out to validate the work. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

软件安全静态检测技术与工具

提出了一种软件安全漏洞的检测方法,重点介绍了静态测试.对当前基于源码分析的软件安全测试工具进行了分类并加以分析.     

Fault injection for the masses

The key technology that the author would like to see adopted by the masses is a family of software fault injection algorithms that can predict where to concentrate testing. From a novelty standpoint, these algorithms were (and still are) unique among other methods of performing fault injection. The author concedes that the algorithms are computational, but the results can provide unequaled information about how “bad things” propagate through systems. Because of that, he thinks fault injection methods are valuable to anyone responsible for software quality, including those working in one-person independent software vendors (ISVs) or even the largest corporations     

Automated model analysis tools and techniques presented at FASE 2019

This special issue contains substantially revised and extended versions of some of the best papers presented at the 22nd International Conference on Fundamental Approaches to Software Engineering in 2019. All papers share the common theme that they are either concerned with model-based analysis of systems or they develop methods in its service.

     

Machine vision for industry: Tasks,tools and techniques

The ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘what’ of industrial machine vision systems are surveyed-why vision is important, how it is accomplished and what sorts of tasks it is being applied to. Examples are given of vision techniques and applications from Japan, France, the GDR and the USA.     

Email mining: tasks,common techniques,and tools

Email is one of the most popular forms of communication nowadays, mainly due to its efficiency, low cost, and compatibility of diversified types of information. In order to facilitate better usage of emails and explore business potentials in emailing, various data mining techniques have been applied on email data. In this paper, we present a brief survey of the major research efforts on email mining. To emphasize the differences between email mining and general text mining, we organize our survey on five major email mining tasks, namely spam detection, email categorization, contact analysis, email network property analysis and email visualization. Those tasks are inherently incorporated into various usages of emails. We systematically review the commonly used techniques and also discuss the related software tools available.     

动态系统的故障预报技术

首先介绍了动态系统故障预报技术的发展状况,然后分三类介绍了目前已有的各种故障预报技术,并讨论了各种方法的优缺点,随后介绍了一些典型的应用例子,最后对这一领域的发展趋势进行了探讨.     

Fault diagnostics using sliding mode techniques

This paper describes the application of sliding mode observation techniques to the problem of fault diagnostics. A specific diesel engine coolant system is considered. A non-linear sliding mode observer is used to monitor the system states. Pertinent system parameters are also monitored using the concept of the equivalent injection signal required to maintain a sliding mode. The parameter estimates from the sliding mode scheme are compared with those generated by a non-linear simulation model and are found to provide good correlation. Results from a laboratory-based power generator set (Genset) are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.     

Applying techniques and tools for the performance engineering of SDL systems

The integration of performance evaluation techniques into the SDL method is an important task. In particular in the area of telecommunications and distributed systems where product families have to be maintained for many years, performance should be considered from the very beginning of system design. This paper demonstrates how performance engineering can be successfully applied. Firstly, an SDL specification of TCP/IP is used to derive a performance model that includes the original SDL system as well as additional constructs describing the consumption of time and resources. Different implementation variants have been evaluated in experimental scenarios. Secondly, the application of a specification-driven monitoring technique to the same SDL specification of TCP/IP is described. The case study shows how the functional and temporal behaviour of an implementation derived from an SDL specification can be analysed and improved by monitoring the running system. The two approaches, modelling and monitoring, are supplementary to each other. This paper provides arguments that the systematic application of specification-driven performance engineering will result in major savings of time and money in later development phases and for later system releases.     

Data structures and mesh modification tools for unstructured multigrid adaptive techniques

A complete set of data structures and mesh modification tools for effectively defining unstructured threedimensional multigrids on general curved domains is presented. The mesh adaptive procedures can be used for generating hierarchies of unstructured grids by means of uniform or local refinement and coarsening, while a local retriangulation algorithm is used for controlling the degradation of the quality of the mesh during adaptation. Intergrid transfer operators are efficiently realized on the fly during adaptation. The data structure allows the efficient storage and handling of multiple grids, where mesh entities belonging to multiple levels can be stored just once. The capabilities and performance of the proposed procedures are exemplified by means of examples.Nomenclature g Geometric model - m _r Mesh model at levelr - v Domain associated with modelv (v=g,m) - (v) Boundary of modelv - Closure of domain of modelv (v(v)) - G _i ^d j Topological entityi of dimensiond _j in the geometric model - M _i ^d j _(p,q) Topological entityi of dimensiond _j in the mesh model, appearing at mesh levelsp throughq - M _i ^d j _(r) Topological entityi in the mesh model of dimensiond _j , considered at mesh levelr - (M _i ^d j) Boundary of topological entity - [·] Ordered list of entities - {·} Unordered list of entities - M _i ^d j _(r) {M ^d j} Unordered group of topological entities of dimensiond _j that are adjacent toM _i ^d j _(r) at mesh levelr - Classification, i.e. association of a topological entity with a model entity     

Efficient techniques and tools for intra‐domain traffic engineering

Intra‐domain routing protocols are based on Shortest Path First (SPF) routing, where shortest paths are calculated between each pair of nodes (routers) using pre‐assigned link weights, also referred to as link metric. These link weights can be modified by network administrators in accordance with the routing policies of the network operator. The operator's objective is usually to minimize traffic congestion or minimize total routing costs subject to the traffic demands and the protocol constraints. However, determining a link weight combination that meets a network operator's objectives is a difficult task. In this paper, we study the link weight optimization problem in intra‐domain networks. This problem is proved to be NP‐hard with hard protocol constraints, e.g., a flow is evenly distributed along the shortest paths between its origin and destination nodes. We present two fast heuristic approaches to generate efficient link metrics for intra‐domain routing. Some promising experimental results are reported.     

Fabrication process of microsurgical tools for single-cell trapping and intracytoplasmic injection

We introduce chemical etching-based processes for fabricating micromanipulators from fused silica microcapillary tubing. The resulting devices are capable of manipulating individual cells and can be used for intracytoplasmic injection. Two types of micromanipulating tools: single-cell trappers and micro-injectors, were fabricated with two single-step etching processes. These etching mechanisms, which are either surface tension controlled or diffusion rate limited, are discussed in detail with experimental verifications. The fabrication processes are reproducible and amenable to mass production due to their simplicity and low fabrication cost. Single cell capture and intracytoplasmic injection have been successfully demonstrated on brassica oleracea protoplasts.