Showing papers by "Betty H. C. Cheng published in 2014"

Models@run.time: foundations, applications, and roadmaps

Abstract: Traditionally, research on model-driven engineering (MDE) has mainly focused on the use of models at the design, implementation, and verification stages of development. This work has produced relatively mature techniques and tools that are currently being used in industry and academia. However, software models also have the potential to be used at runtime, to monitor and verify particular aspects of runtime behavior, and to implement self-* capabilities (e.g., adaptation technologies used in self-healing, self-managing, self-optimizing systems). A key benefit of using models at runtime is that they can provide a richer semantic base for runtime decision-making related to runtime system concerns associated with autonomic and adaptive systems. This book is one of the outcomes of the Dagstuhl Seminar 11481 on models@run.time held in November/December 2011, discussing foundations, techniques, mechanisms, state of the art, research challenges, and applications for the use of runtime models. The book comprises four research roadmaps, written by the original participants of the Dagstuhl Seminar over the course of two years following the seminar, and seven research papers from experts in the area. The roadmap papers provide insights to key features of the use of runtime models and identify the following research challenges: the need for a reference architecture, uncertainty tackled by runtime models, mechanisms for leveraging runtime models for self-adaptive software, and the use of models at runtime to address assurance for self-adaptive systems.

The relevance of model-driven engineering thirty years from now

Abstract: Although model-driven engineering (MDE) is now an established approach for developing complex software systems, it has not been universally adopted by the software industry. In order to better understand the reasons for this, as well as to identify future opportunities for MDE, we carried out a week-long design thinking experiment with 15 MDE experts. Participants were facilitated to identify the biggest problems with current MDE technologies, to identify grand challenges for society in the near future, and to identify ways that MDE could help to address these challenges. The outcome is a reflection of the current strengths of MDE, an outlook of the most pressing challenges for society at large over the next three decades, and an analysis of key future MDE research opportunities.

Using models at runtime to address assurance for self-adaptive systems

Abstract: A self-adaptive software system modifies its behavior at runtime in response to changes within the system or in its execution environment. The ful- fillment of the system requirements needs to be guaranteed even in the presence of adverse conditions and adaptations. Thus, a key challenge for self-adaptive software systems is assurance. Traditionally, confidence in the correctness of a system is gained through a variety of activities and processes performed at de- velopment time, such as design analysis and testing. In the presence of self- adaptation, however, some of the assurance tasks may need to be performed at runtime. This need calls for the development of techniques that enable contin- uous assurance throughout the software life cycle. Fundamental to the develop- ment of runtime assurance techniques is research into the use of models at runtime

Towards run-time adaptation of test cases for self-adaptive systems in the face of uncertainty

Abstract: Self-adaptive systems (SAS) may be subjected to conditions for which they were not explicitly designed. For those high-assurance SAS applications that must deliver critical services, techniques are needed to ensure that only acceptable behavior is provided. While testing an SAS at design time can validate its expected behaviors in known circumstances, testing at run time provides assurance that the SAS will continue to behave as expected in uncertain situations. This paper introduces Veritas, an approach for using utility functions to guide the test adaptation process as part of a run-time testing framework. Specifically, Veritas adapts test cases for an SAS at run time to ensure that the SAS continues to execute in a safe and correct manner when adapting to handle changing environmental conditions.

AutoRELAX: automatically RELAXing a goal model to address uncertainty

Abstract: Dynamically adaptive systems (DAS) must cope with system and environmental conditions that may not have been fully understood or anticipated during development. RELAX is a fuzzy logic-based specification language for identifying and assessing sources of environmental uncertainty, thereby making DAS requirements more tolerant of unanticipated conditions. This paper presents AutoRELAX, an approach that automatically generates RELAXed goal models to address environmental uncertainty. Specifically, AutoRELAX identifies goals to RELAX, which RELAX operators to apply, and the shape of the fuzzy logic function that establishes the goal satisfaction criteria. AutoRELAX generates different solutions by making tradeoffs between minimizing the number of RELAXed goals and maximizing delivered functionality by reducing the number of adaptations triggered by minor and adverse environmental conditions. In a recent extension, AutoRELAX uses a stepwise adaptation of weights to balance these two competing concerns and thereby further improve the utility of AutoRELAX. We apply it to two industry-based applications involving network management and a robotic controller, respectively.

On the Globalization of Domain-Specific Languages

Abstract: In the software engineering community, research on domain-specific languages DSLs is focused on providing technologies for designing languages and tools that enable domain experts to develop system solutions efficiently. Unfortunately, the current lack of support to explicitly relate concepts expressed in different DSLs makes it difficult for software and system engineers to reason about information distributed across models or programs describing different system aspects, at different levels of abstraction. Supporting the coordinated use of DSLs is what we call the globalization of DSLs. In this chapter, we introduce a grand challenge of the globalization of DSLs, and we present a few motivating scenarios for such a grand challenge.

Motivating Use Cases for the Globalization of DSLs

Abstract: The development of complex software-intensive systems involves many stakeholders who contribute their expertise on specific aspects of the system under construction. Domain-specific languages DSLs are typically used by stakeholders to express their knowledge of the system using dedicated tools and abstractions. In this chapter, we explore different scenarios that lead to the globalization of DSLs through two motivating case studies --- a command and control wind tunnel and a smart emergency response system --- and outline the concrete engineering challenges they raise. Finally, we list some of the general research challenges related to the globalization of DSMLs and discuss some promising approaches for addressing them.