The Xinotech PSDL Environment for Real-Time Prototyping

Xinotech proposes to research and develop a knowledge-based, metalanguage- generated environment with homogeneous support for rapid prototyping of hard real-time embedded systems using PSDL as the executable prototyping language and for the subsequent deployment to various distributed and parallel architectures using Ada 9X as the implementation language. The front-end tools will include the Xinotech Composer for syntax-directed construction, integrated with the Graph Abstractor, and the rules-based Guideliner. The back-end will make use of a static scheduler, a translator and a dynamic scheduler, already existing for PSDL. XPAL, the Xinotech Pattern Abstraction Language, will be used to specify transformation libraries to generate Ada from PSDL, and to partially generate PSDL from existing Ada programs imported into the environment. An XPAL library to transform and restructure PSDL specifications will be provided. This library will be very useful in automating and speeding the rapid prototyping process through iterative modifications needed to finalize the design. This environment will have a uniform, open architecture supported by GUI's such as Motif and Windows NT. Anticipated Benefits/Potential Applications - Successful development of this effort will produce a complete, practical environment for rapid prototyping of real-time embedded systems using PSDL targeted for Ada. This environment will significantly increase programmer productivity and the reliability of large software systems, as well as early detection of design flaws which are unattainable goals with the present software development methods and tools.