Isidro Ramos

PRISMA: towards quality, aspect oriented and dynamic software architectures

The development of software systems must be done using platforms that allow the description of quality, complex, distributed, dynamic and reusable architectural models. We present in this paper PRISMA, an architectural modelling approach based on aspects and components that uses a component definition language (components, connectors and systems) to define architectural types at a high abstraction level and a configuration language to design the architecture of software systems. The component definition language increases reuse allowing importation of COTS and reduces complexity by integrating two modern software development approaches: component-based software development and aspect-oriented software development. The configuration language designs the architecture of software systems by creating and interconnecting instances of the defined types including possible imported COTS. PRISMA has a metalevel with reflexive properties for these two languages. For this reason, the types of PRISMA may evolve and the topologies of PRISMA may be reconfigured dynamically.

Algebraic Specification of a Model Transformation Engine

In Model-Driven Engineering, a software development process is a sequence of manipulation tasks that are applied to models, where model transformations play a relevant role. MOMENT (MOdel manageMENT) is a framework that is integrated in the Eclipse platform. MOMENT provides a collection of generic set-oriented operators to manipulate EMF models. In this paper, we present the model transformation mechanism that is embodied by the ModelGen operator. This operator uses the term rewriting system Maude as transformation engine and provides support for traceability. ModelGen has been defined in an algebraic specification so that we can use formal tools to reason about transformation features, such as termination and confluence. Furthermore, its application to EMF models shows that formal methods can be applied to industrial modeling tools in an efficient way. Finally, we indicate how the ModelGen operator provides support for the QVT Relations language in the MOMENT Framework.

Formal Model Merging Applied to Class Diagram Integration

The integration of software artifacts is present in many scenarios of the Software Engineering field: object-oriented modeling, relational databases, XML schemas, ontologies, aspect-oriented programming, etc. In Model Management, software artifacts are viewed as models that can be manipulated by means of generic operators, which are specified independently of the context in which they are used. One of these operators is Merge, which enables the automated integration of models. Solutions for merging models that are achieved by applying this operator are more abstract and reusable than the ad-hoc solutions that are pervasive in many contexts of the Software Engineering field. In this paper, we present our automated approach for generic model merging from a practical standpoint, providing support for conflict resolution and traceability between software artifacts by using the QVT Relations language. We focus on the definition of our operator Merge, applying it to Class Diagrams integration.

Designing software architectures with an aspect-oriented architecture description language

A great deal of languages have emerged and have demonstrated the advantages that Aspect-Oriented Programming offers. For this reason, the aspect-oriented approach is being introduced into the early phases (analysis and design) of the software life cycle. In this work, we present an Aspect-Oriented Architecture Description Language (AOADL) to specify software architectures of complex, dynamic and distributed software systems. This AOADL follows the PRISMA approach, which integrates the advantages of Component-Based Software Development (CBSD) and Aspect-Oriented Software Development (AOSD). The PRISMA AOADL combines components and aspects in an elegant and novel way achieving a better management of crosscutting-concerns. In addition, it is independent of the technology, and it has great expressive power in order to facilitate the automatic code generation from its specifications. In this work, we demonstrate how PRISMA AOADL improves the management, maintainability and reusability of software architectures introducing the notion of aspect in its ADL.

Dynamic evolution in aspect-oriented architectural models

This paper presents a solution to the evolution problem of software architectures. This solution is provided by PRISMA. PRISMA is an architecture modeling approach that integrates the advantages of Component-Based Software Development (CBSD) and Aspect-Oriented Software Development (AOSD). This integration is reflected in its model and in its Architecture Description Language (ADL). In this paper, PRISMA is presented as a framework to evolve aspect-oriented and component-based architectures by requirements-driven evolution. The evolution is supported by means of a meta-level and the reflexive properties of PRISMA ADL which have been implemented as a middleware. In addition, it is demonstrated how the evolution services of the PRISMA meta-level permit the run-time evolution of software architectures using an industrial case study, the TeachMover Robot.

Integrating aspects in software architectures: PRISMA applied to robotic tele-operated systems

Aspect-Oriented Software Development (AOSD) has emerged as a new approach to develop software systems by improving their structure, reuse, maintenance and evolution properties. It is being applied to all stages of the software life cycle. In this paper, we present the PRISMA approach, which introduces AOSD in software architectures. PRISMA is characterized by integrating aspects as first-order citizens of software architectures. This paper shows how the PRISMA methodology is applied to develop a case study of the tele-operation system domain. We illustrate how the PRISMA approach can improve the development and maintenance processes of these kinds of industrial systems.

Automatic support for traceability in a generic model management framework

In a MDA process, software artifacts are refined from the problem space (requirements) to the solution space (application). A model refinement involves the application of operators that perform tasks over models such as integrations and transformations, among others. We are working on a model management framework, called MOMENT (MOdel manageMENT), where model operators are defined independently of any metamodel in order to increase their reusability. This approach also increases the level of abstraction of solutions of this kind by working on models as first-class citizens, instead of working on the internal representation of a model at a programming level. In this context, traceability constitutes the mechanism to follow the transformations carried out over a model through several refinement steps. In this paper, we focus on the generic traceability support that the MOMENT framework provides. These capabilities allow the definition of generic complex operators that permit solving specific problems such as change propagation.

Automatic reengineering in MDA using rewriting logic as transformation engine

Legacy systems are information systems that have been developed by means of methods, tools and database management systems that have become obsolete, but they are still being used due to their reliability. As time goes on, the maintenance of this software becomes more complex, expensive and painful. The MOMENT framework supports automatic formal model transformations in MDA. This model transformation approach is based on the algebraic specification of models and benefits from mature term rewriting system technology to perform model transformation using rewriting logic. In this paper, we present how we apply this formal transformation mechanism to recover a legacy relational database, obtaining a UML-based application.

A Metamodeling Approach for Requirements Specification

There are many Requirements Engineering approaches and techniques that help to specify, analyze and validate requirements. However, they are neither widely accepted nor widely used by the industrial software community. One of the main problems faced when applying them is to what extent they can be easily adapted to the specific needs of the project. This has often led to unsatisfactory requirements management in industrial software development. In this work, a proposal for requirements modeling is presented that allows the integration of the expressiveness of some of the more relevant Requirements Engineering techniques by taking advantage of metamodeling. This proposal focuses on scalability with respect to expressiveness and adaptability to the application domain to establish some basic guidelines and extension mechanisms that lend coherence and semantic precision. A case study and 4 tool support are presented to describe the application of this proposal in a real-life project.

Ambient-PRISMA: Ambients in mobile aspect-oriented software architecture

This work presents an approach called Ambient-PRISMA for modelling and developing distributed and mobile applications. Ambient-PRISMA enriches an aspect-oriented software architectural approach called PRISMA with the ambient concept from Ambient Calculus. Ambients are introduced in PRISMA as specialized kinds of connectors that offer mobility services to architectural elements (components and connectors) and are able to coordinate a boundary, which models the notion of location. Mobility of architectural elements is supported by reconfiguring the software architecture. This paper presents a metamodel that introduces ambients to design aspect-oriented software architectural models for mobile systems. The design of models is performed using an Aspect-Oriented Architecture Description Language. A middleware called Ambient-PRISMANET which maps the metamodel to .NET technology and supports the distributed runtime environment needed for executing mobile applications is also presented. In addition, a CASE Tool which allows users to specify the aspect-oriented architectural models in a graphical way and generate .NET code is provided. In this way, we explain how Ambient-PRISMA follows Model Driven Engineering. An example of an auction system is used throughout the article to illustrate the work.