CAREER: Architecture-Based Support for Software Application Families

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Proposal Number: CCR-9985441Title: CAREER: Architecture-Based Support for Software Application FamiliesPrincipal Investigator: Nenad Medvidovic, USCABSTRACT----------------Software architecture research has yielded numerous techniques fordeveloping complex applications by focusing on the composition ofcoarse-grain software components. However, existing architecture-basedapproaches have typically modeled systems as "one of a kind;" additionally,they have failed to ensure consistent transfer of architectural propertiesto a system's implementation. Realizing the full potential of softwarearchitectures requires a more realistic approach, in which systems aremodeled and implemented as members of an application family. This projectfocuses on the design, implementation, and empirical evaluation oftechniques for supporting architecture-based development of softwareapplication families. Three general issues are studied: (1) notations formodeling application family architectures; (2) mechanisms for refiningfamily architectures into their implementations; and (3) nature of softwareconnectors--services facilitating component interactions--and their role incontrolling non-functional properties (e.g., performance, security) acrossapplications in a family. This research will augment the currentmodel-centric focus on architectures with a system-centric perspective andprovide principled support for heterogeneity and reuse, two cornerstones ofdeveloping application families. The research will also serve as a vehiclefor modernizing the software engineering curriculum, by exposing students tothe impact of architecture-based and application family-based development onfundamental software engineering principles