A runtime model-based framework for specifying and verifying adaptive RTE systems

Abstract

Adaptive Real-Time Embedded Systems (RTES) may execute in an unpredictable context that is impossible to definitely consider in the development time. Therefore, these systems are required to adapt their behaviour to unpredicted changes at runtime in order to maintain their feasibility and usefulness. Their design requires effective runtime modelling formalisms for monitoring, reconfiguration planning and adaptive system analysis. In this context, software designers need to evaluate, refine and validate runtime models at early stages of development via adaptation tools, in particular for runtime adaptive systems to avoid execution problems. In the present paper, we propose a runtime model-based framework that allows the modelling and simulation as well as the traceability of adaptive RTES. Our proposal starts by a high-level specification based on the UML/MARTE profile, which describes an adaptive system and supports the reasoning about its behaviour and structure at runtime. The runtime UML/MARTE models are translated into an adaptive one that instantiates MAPE patterns for the control and the traceability of the runtime system. Then Model-to-Text (M2T) transformations allow us to generate simulation scripts for the analysis of adaptive system behaviour at runtime and evaluate its real-time constraints.