SPECIFICATION OF NETWORK EMBEDDED SOFTWARE COMPONENTS

Issue title: COMPONENT-BASED SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sünbül, Asuman

Affiliations: Kestrel Institute, 3260 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. Email: asu@kestrel.edu

Abstract: In the last years, generative component based techniques have already successfully been used within a large number of software development projects. They have shown to be especially useful in applications where certain patterns of system architecture and/or implementation structures can be identified and used as possible starting points for automatically generating system parts from more abstract descriptions. Standard component "developing" techniques being used were CORBA (including real-time CORBA), DCOM or JavaBeans. But there is huge amount of platforms, not necessarily exotic ones, where neither the traditional middleware techniques (e.g CORBA) nor component techniques can be applied. A particular example for those kind of systems, are given by network embedded, real-time, wireless systems. The size of NEST configurations, their tight integration with dynamic, non-stationary physical processes and limitations in component reliability make the use of self-assembly, self-configuration, self-repair and other forms of adaptation mandatory. These requirements push the demand for new tools and methodologies for designing communication protocols and services for distributed systems supporting a third generation of ultra-high performance middleware and light-weighted components. We're presenting our framework for developing light-weighted, formally correct software which is well suiting for the needs of NEST demands.

Journal: Journal of Integrated Design & Process Science, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 23-51, 2002