Model based component development and analysis with ComMA

Abstract

The lack of explicit and precise specifications of software interfaces between components often leads to integration issues during development and maintenance. To address this, we have developed a framework named ComMA (Component Modeling and Analysis) that supports model-based engineering of high-tech systems by precisely defining components and their interfaces. The framework is a family of Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) for modeling component interfaces, protocol state machines, time and data constraints, and constraints on relations between events of multiple interfaces. From these models a number of artifacts can be generated automatically to support analysis and various engineering tasks. ComMA has been developed in close collaboration with the Philips IGT business unit that develops minimally-invasive X-ray systems. This paper presents the experience we gained in creating the ComMA framework and its application in industrial practice. We describe and reflect on the technical, organizational and process-related aspects of deploying a non-trivial MDE solution in an industrial setting.