MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF COMPONENT-BASED SOFTWARE SYSTEMS: A GRAPH THEORETIC SYSTEMS APPROACH

Abstract

Component-oriented paradigm (COP) is becoming popular in the development of present day software. To get the quality of finished product it is necessary to analyze architecture at the early stages of the development life cycle. In the current study, a graph theoretic systems approach to model and analyze component-based software system (CBSS) is presented that describes the characteristics of quality. It proposes a set of analytical tool to capture the notion of structural model as the basis to analyze characteristics of CBSS. A system equation is developed using graph theoretic models which is characteristic of the quality of the CBSS. The current work is an attempt to formulate computationally simple and analytical method to develop the architectural model and analysis of CBSS. The methodology proposed in the study not only takes into account the structure/architecture of the CBSS, but also incorporates interactions among sub-systems (sub-sub-systems up to the component level) effectively. Thus it maintains the inherent characteristics of software architecture models so proposed. By utilizing the approach, two individual CBSS or families of CBSS can also be compared. In the present work, architecture (structure) modeling and analysis of typical component-based web application (CWA) is presented that describes characteristics of quality. The current work also deals with the development/selection of optimum architecture (structural) model of CWA. This can be done using the criteria as discussed in the paper.