A formal approach to software product families [Elektronische Ressource] / Alexander M. Gruler

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A Formal Approach toSoftware Product FamiliesAlexander M. Gruler¨ ¨TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT MUNCHEN¨INSTITUT FUR INFORMATIKA Formal Approach toSoftware Product FamiliesAlexander M. GrulerVollsta¨ndiger Abdruck der von der Fakult¨at fu¨r Informatik der TechnischenUniversita¨t Mu¨nchen zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einesDoktors der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat.)genehmigten Dissertation.Vorsitzender: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Burkhard RostPru¨fer der Dissertation:1. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Manfred Broy2. Univ.-Prof. Christian Lengauer, Ph.D.Universita¨t PassauDie Dissertation wurde am 17.05.2010 bei der Technischen Universita¨t Mu¨ncheneingereicht und durch die Fakult¨at fu¨r Informatik am 16.10.2010 angenommen.AbstractSoftware-intensive systems pervade our daily lives. Regarding the product range oforganizations which develop software-intensive systems, many organizations do notproduceunrelatedsystems,butratherproducefamiliesofsimilarsystemsthatsharecertain commonalities. Prominent examples of such families of software-intensivesystems can be found in a multitude of different application domains, comprisingembedded as well as business information systems. For example the model variantsof the same model series of a car manufacturer, e.g. the variants of the 7-seriesBMW, or the various variants of an operating system, e.g. the various editions ofthe operating system Microsoft Windows 7, constitute such families.

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• Wissenschaft

Informations

• Publié par: technische_universitat_munchen
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 16
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

A

Formal

Approach

ot

SoftwareProductFamilies

Alexander

.M

Gruler

TECHNISCHEUNIVERSITA¨TMU¨NCHEN
INSTITUTFU¨RINFORMATIK

AFormalApproachto
SoftwareProductFamilies

AlexanderM.Gruler

Vollsta¨ndigerAbdruckdervonderFakulta¨tfu¨rInformatikderTechnischen
Universita¨tMu¨nchenzurErlangungdesakademischenGradeseines
DoktorsderNaturwissenschaften(Dr.rer.nat.)

genehmigtenDissertation.

Vorsitzender:Univ.-Prof.Dr.BurkhardRost
Pru¨ferderDissertation:
1.Univ.-Prof.Dr.Dr.h.c.ManfredBroy
2.Univ.-Prof.ChristianLengauer,Ph.D.
Universita¨tPassau

DieDissertationwurdeam17.05.2010beiderTechnischenUniversita¨tMu¨nchen
eingereichtunddurchdieFakulta¨tfu¨rInformatikam16.10.2010angenommen.

Abstract

Software-intensivesystemspervadeourdailylives.Regardingtheproductrangeof
organizationswhichdevelopsoftware-intensivesystems,manyorganizationsdonot
produceunrelatedsystems,butratherproducefamiliesofsimilarsystemsthatshare
certaincommonalities.Prominentexamplesofsuchfamiliesofsoftware-intensive
systemscanbefoundinamultitudeofdierentapplicationdomains,comprising
embeddedaswellasbusinessinformationsystems.Forexamplethemodelvariants
ofthesamemodelseriesofacarmanufacturer,e.g.thevariantsofthe7-series
BMW,orthevariousvariantsofanoperatingsystem,e.g.thevariouseditionsof
theoperatingsystemMicrosoftWindows7,constitutesuchfamilies.

Inordertoincreasetheeciencyinthedevelopmentofsuchsystemfamiliesareuse
strategyseemssensible.Theintegrateddevelopmentofafamilyofsoftware-intensive
systemsbyexplicitlymakinguseoftheircommonalitiesinastrategicandplanned
wayisthesubjectofsoftwareproductlineengineering.

Despiteitsobviousmotivation,thewayofconstructingafamilyofsystemsbytaking
advantageofcommonalitiesisnotsucientlyexplored—inparticularwithrespect
toitstheoreticalfoundation.Howcanreusebasedoncommonalitiesbetweensystem
variantstakeplaceinasystematicway?Whatarethefundamentalconceptsbehind
commonalitiesanddierencesofrelatedsystems?Howcancommonalitiesbetween
familymembersbedetermined?Howcantherelationbetweenfamilymembers
bemodeled,andhowarecommonalitiesintegratedintotheconstructionofthe
individualfamilymembers?Whatarethefundamentalconceptsthatconstitutea
softwareproductfamily,andwhencanwespeakofasoftwareproductfamilyatall?

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Inthisthesisweaddresstheseandsimilarquestionsfromthepointofviewofanun-
derlyingmodelingtheory,andintroduceatheoreticalframeworkfortheconstruction
of,andthereasoningaboutsoftwareproductfamiliesandtheirproducts.

Ontheonehandwedothisforaveryspecickindofsoftwareproductfamilies,
whereaproductfamilyrepresentstheintegrated,implementation-platforminde-
pendent,operationalbehaviorofasetofsoftware-intensivesystems.Weprovide
aprocessalgebraicframeworkforthedevelopmentofsuchproductfamilies,which
allowstobenetfrombehavioralcommonalitiesforthedevelopmentofindividual
familymembers.Theframeworkcomprises(i)theprocessalgebraPF-CCSforthe
specicationofthebehaviorofasetofsoftware-intensive,reactivesystemsinan
integratedandsystematicallyplannedwayasaproductfamily,(ii)amulti-valued,
modallogic(amulti-valuedversionoftheµ-calculus),whichistailoredtothespeci-
cationandvericationofbehavioralpropertieswhicharisewhenconsideringalarge
varietyofsimilarsystems,and(iii)arestructuringconceptthatconstitutesthethe-
oreticalbasistodeterminebehavioralcommonalitiesintheoperationalbehaviorof
familymembers.

Ontheotherhandweconsidersoftwareproductfamilyconceptsingeneral,and
inparticularthegeneralconstructionconceptbehindanysoftwareproductfamily,
abstractingfromtheconcretekind,realizationandimplementationofthesoftware
productfamily,andthekindofproductswhichthefamilycomprises.Weformalize
theconceptualconstructionideabehindanysoftwareproductfamilybyelaborating
anaxiomatizationofsoftwareproductfamilyconcepts.Theaxiomatizationrepre-
sentsatheoreticalbasistomanipulateandtoreasonaboutsoftwareproductfamilies
ingeneral.Inaddition,itcharacterizestheclassofsoftwareproductfamilies.

Notethatthisthesisdoesnotpresentapracticalapproachinthesensethatthe
introducedconceptsandmethodscandirectlybeappliedovernightforthepracti-
caldevelopmentoflargesoftware-intensivesystems.Essentialaspectsofbringinga
softwareproductlinetolife,suchasthedenitionofasuitablemethodologicalap-
plicationoftheintroducedconcepts,orthedetailedembeddingintoadevelopment
process,arenotcoveredinthisthesis.Ourapproachservesasatheoreticalunder-
pinningfortheconstructionofandthereasoningaboutsoftwareproductfamilies,
whichmayguidethecreationofpracticalframeworks.

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Acknowledgements

Thisthesiswouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheencouragement,thesupport,
andtheunderstandingofmanypeople.ToallofthemIamdeeplygrateful.

FirstandforemostIwanttothankmydoctoraladvisorProf.ManfredBroy.The
conditionsandtheuniqueresearchenvironmentthathehasmanagedtocreateat
theChairofSoftware&SystemsEngineeringattheTUMhavemadethetimein
hisgroupanoutstandingexperiencewithexcellentworkandresearchopportunities,
andIconsidermyselfprivilegedtohavebeenapartofit.Iamverygratefulfor
thefreedomandthetimehehasgrantedmetondandpursuethetopicofthis
thesis,andforhispatiencewithmeduringthattime.IalsowanttothankProf.
ChristianLengauer,whoagreegedtoactassecondsupervisor,andwhoprovided
veryconstructiveandhelpfulsuggestionstoimprovethisthesis.

DuringthecourseofcreatingthisthesisIhadtoundergosomesituationsthat
gnawedatmymotivation.TheencouragementthatIreceivedinthesesituations,
especiallyfrommycolleaguesMartinLeuckerandMakariusWenzel,wasmostwel-
come,andIwanttothankyouforthat.

UndoubtedlyIoweMartinLeuckeradeptofgratitude.Inhispositionasanexpe-
riencedresearcherandpost-docinourgroupitwashimwhotaughtmetheABCof
scienticworkandwhointroducedmetomanyinterestingresearchareas.Iamvery
happytocallhimbothmyteacherandmyfriend.Specialthankstooursecretary
SilkeMu¨ller,theheartoftheentiregroup.Itiscertainlynoexaggerationtosay
thatwhenevershehappenedtobeoutofoce,everyoneimmediatelywishedher

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back.IalsowanttothankmycolleagueJudithThyssenforbeingawonderfuloce
mateduringthelastyears.

IamverygratefultoStefanBerghofer,DavidCruz,PeterHo¨fner,MartinLeucker,
ChristianLeuxner,DanielRatiu,MartinSachenbacher,DanielThoma,andMakar-
iusWenzelforreadingpartsofmythesisandforprovidingmeveryvaluablefeedback.

Finally,Iwanttothankmyfamily,inparticularmymotherandmyfather.Ulti-
mately,itwastheircare,theirlove,andtheirwayofraisingandeducatingme,that
hassetthecourseforwhatandwhereIcanbetoday.

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Munich,May2010

Contents

1.Introduction1
1.1.SoftwareProductLineEngineering...................2
1.2.ChallengesandTheirBackgrounds...................6
1.2.1.RequirementsforanImprovedEngineeringApproach....11
1.3.Contributions...............................12
1.4.RelatedWork...............................17
1.5.ThesisOutline..............................18
2.FormalizationofCharacteristicSoftwareProductFamilyConcepts21
2.1.SoftwareProductFamiliesandLines:AnInformalView.......23
2.2.AxiomatizationofSoftwareProductFamilyConcepts........30
2.2.1.Preliminaries:AlgebraicSpecication.............31
2.2.2.OperationsforConstructingaSoftwareProductFamily...32
2.2.2.1.CoreAssetsandNeutralElement..........33
2.2.2.2.Composition......................35
2.2.2.3.VariationPointsandVariants............35
2.2.2.4.Example:AProductFamilyofStickmenDrawings39
2.2.3.Axioms,PropertiesandAuxiliaryOperations.........43
2.2.3.1.AxiomsforConstructors...............43
2.2.3.2.TermNormalFormofProductFamilies.......46
2.2.3.3.Con