Early Design Analysis for Robust Cyberphysical Systems Engineering

ABSTRACT: Our vision of a new paradigm moves software performance analysis from an isolated set of tools that require laborious manual transfer of information among design and analysis tools to an integrated framework in which independent tools share information automatically and seamlessly. This framework provides true automated capability for analyzing the performance of system architectures and designs enabling developers to use decision support data-quickly and economically-during early stages of development. The framework supports the"plug and play"addition of tools thus making it easily expandable as new design methods, analysis techniques, and other support tools are desired. Phase I proposes to resolve significant technical barriers in the automated transformation of early architecture and design specification for cyberphysical systems (CPS) into analysis models. We propose: to identify a consistent set of language constructs from MARTE with UML/SysML and other design notations; to develop a set of transformations from a design model specified with these constructs into a Model Interchange Format (MIF); and using the MIF to evaluate properties such as hardware sizing and timing analysis in a format useful for design problem diagnosis. Resolving these technical barriers is a significant step toward our vision of the future. BENEFIT: Developers of real-time embedded and other software systems are moving to Model Driven Engineering using the Unified Modeling Language to define new systems. When developers create models of their software before building it, there is a significant opportunity to provide performance predictions for design and implementation options that they can use to select options that meet performance requirements. This will increase the likelihood that systems will meet their performance requirements upon delivery rather than fail initially and require extensive re-work to correct problems. By automating the translation of software designs to performance models, this framework eliminates the need for laborious and error-prone manual translation. This means that performance defects can be detected and corrected early in the development process when they are easier and less costly to repair. Automated translation of designs to performance models also makes it possible to keep the performance models and design synchronized as the software evolves. It is time to make available to developers proper tools, that are easy to use, to prevent performance problems, particularly for real-time embedded systems (RTES) software where a performance failure can have disastrous consequences. Phase I resolves technical barriers to automated translation of design to performance models. Phase II will resolve technical implementation issues and develop prototypes that provides the foundation for one or more Phase III commercial products that could be developed relatively quickly and marketed to both the DoD and commercial clients.