Model-Based Engineering with AADL: An Introduction to the SAE Architecture Analysis & Design Language

Product Author Bios

Dr. Peter Feiler is a senior member of technical staff in the Research Technology and Systems Solutions (RTSS) program at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). He is a 27-year veteran of the SEI. His interests include architecture-centric engineering of safety-critical embedded real-time systems. He is collaborating with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and other research institutions to develop model-based architecture technology and is investigating its practicality with commercial industry. He is the author and editor of the SAE International (formerly known as Society of Automotive Engineers) Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL) standard. Peter has a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University and is a senior member and member of ACM, IEEE, and SAE International. He recently received the Carnegie Science Award for Information Technology.

Dr. David P. Gluch is a professor in the department of electrical, computer, software, and systems engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a visiting scientist at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). His research interests are technologies and practices for model-based software engineering of complex systems, with a focus on software verification. Prior to joining the faculty at Embry-Riddle, he was a senior member of the technical staff at the SEI where he participated in the development and transition of innovative software engineering practices and technologies. His industrial research and development experience has included fault-tolerant computer, fly-by-wire aircraft control, Space Shuttle software modeling, and automated process control systems. He has co-authored a book on real-time UNIX systems and authored numerous technical reports and professional articles. Dave has a Ph.D. in physics from Florida State University and is a senior member of IEEE.

Conventional build-then-test practices are making today’s embedded, software-reliant systems unaffordable to build. In response, more than thirty leading industrial organizations have joined SAE (formerly, the Society of Automotive Engineers) to define the SAE Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL) AS-5506 Standard, a rigorous and extensible foundation for model-based engineering analysis practices that encompass software system design, integration, and assurance. Using AADL, you can conduct lightweight and rigorous analyses of critical real-time factors such as performance, dependability, security, and data integrity. You can integrate additional established and custom analysis/specification techniques into your engineering environment, developing a fully unified architecture model that makes it easier to build reliable systems that meet customer expectations.

Model-Based Engineering with AADL is the first guide to using this new international standard to optimize your development processes. Coauthored by Peter H. Feiler, the standard’s author and technical lead, this introductory reference and tutorial is ideal for self-directed learning or classroom instruction, and is an excellent reference for practitioners, including architects, developers, integrators, validators, certifiers, first-level technical leaders, and project managers. Packed with real-world examples, it introduces all aspects of the AADL notation as part of an architecture-centric, model-based engineering approach to discovering embedded software systems problems earlier, when they cost less to solve. Throughout, the authors compare AADL to other modeling notations and approaches, while presenting the language via a complete case study: the development and analysis of a realistic example system through repeated refinement and analysis.

Part One introduces both the AADL language and core Model-Based Engineering (MBE) practices, explaining basic software systems modeling and analysis in the context of an example system, and offering practical guidelines for effectively applying AADL.

Part Two describes the characteristics of each AADL element, including their representations, applicability, and constraints.

The Appendix includes comprehensive listings of AADL language elements, properties incorporated in the AADL standard, and a description of the book’s example system.

Online Sample Chapter

Modeling and Analysis with the AADL: The Basics

Table of Contents

Preface         xv

Introduction         1

PART I: Model-Based Engineering and the AADL         3

Chapter 1: Model-Based Software Systems Engineering         5

1.1 MBE and Software System Engineering   6

1.2 AADL and Other Modeling Languages   12

Chapter 2: Working with the SAE AADL         17

2.1 AADL Models   19

2.2 System Specification and System Instances   26

Chapter 3: Modeling and Analysis with the AADL: The Basics         31

3.1 Developing a Simple Model   31

3.2 Representing Code Artifacts   47

3.3 Modeling Dynamic Reconfigurations   51

3.4 Modeling and Analyzing Abstract Flows   55

3.5 Developing a Conceptual Model   58

3.6 Working with Component Patterns   69

Chapter 4: Applying AADL Capabilities         77

4.1 Specifying System Composition   77

4.2 Component Interactions   84

4.3 Modeling Data and Its Use   97

4.4 Organizing a Design   101

PART II: Elements of the AADL         109

Chapter 5: Defining AADL Components         113

5.1 Component Names   113

5.2 Component Categories   114

5.3 Declaring Component Types   114

5.4 Declaring a Component’s External Interfaces   118

5.5 Declaring Component Implementations   121

5.6 Summary   125

Chapter 6: Software Components         127

6.1 Thread   128

6.2 Thread Group   133

6.3 Process   135

6.4 Data   138

6.5 Subprogram   141

6.6 Subprogram Group   144

Chapter 7: Execution Platform Components         147

7.1 Processor   148

7.2 Virtual Processor   151

7.3 Memory   153

7.4 Bus   156

7.5 Virtual Bus   158

7.6 Device   160

Chapter 8: Composite and Generic Components         163

8.1 System   163

8.2 Abstract   165

Chapter 9: Static and Dynamic Architecture         169

9.1 Subcomponents   169

9.2 Modes   173

Chapter 10: Component Interactions          185

10.1 Ports and Connections   186

10.2 Data Access and Connections   210

10.3 Bus Access and Connections   213

10.4 Feature Groups and Connections   217

10.5 Abstract Features and Connections   225

10.6 Arrays and Connections   227

10.7 Subprogram Calls, Access, and Instances   232

10.8 Parameter Connections   240

Chapter 11: System Flows and Software Deployment          245

11.1 Flows   245

11.2 Binding Software to Hardware   256

Chapter 12: Organizing Models         263

12.1 Naming and Referencing Model Elements   263

12.2 Organizing Models with Packages   266

12.3 Evolving Models by Classifier Refinement   273

12.4 Prototypes as Classifier Parameters   281

Chapter 13: Annotating Models         289

13.1 Documenting Model Elements   289

13.2 Using Properties   291

Chapter 14: Extending the Language         303

14.1 Property Sets   303

14.2 Annex Sublanguages   312

Chapter 15: Creating and Validating Models         317

15.1 Model Creation   317

15.2 Model Creation Tools   319

15.3 System Validation and Generation   321

15.4 System Validation and Generation Tools   322

Appendixes         325

Appendix A: Syntax and Property Summary         327

A.1 AADL Syntax   327

A.2 Component Type and Implementation Elements   342

A.3 Basic Property Types and Type Constructors   347

A.4 AADL Reserved Words   348

A.5 AADL Properties   349

A.6 Runtime Services   418

A.7 Powerboat Autopilot System   425

Appendix B: Additional Resources         429

B.1 Modeling System Architectures   429

B.2 Cases Studies   431

Appendix C: References         435

Index         441

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