Optimization of Component Extraction for Reusable Software Components in Context Level – A Systematic Approach

Abstract

A component can be considered as an independent replaceable part of the application that provides a clear distinct Function. A software component is said to be reusable if the cost required to reuse is remarkably smaller than the implementation of the component with the same functionality and also within a limited time. Software component reuse is the search for components that supply the functionality needed by the user. Calculating the extraction time for each component in the entire identified component set based on coverage driven functional verification method in context level remains unexplored. Effective component extraction methods are essential to assist the reuser to speed up the process of extracting the appropriate components for the given task. In this paper, we have designed a systematic approach for software component reusability in context level and also proposed two methods for calculating component extraction time. Optimization of component extraction is based on minimum extraction time to achieve better reusability in terms of speed. By evaluating the two methods, the Minimum Extraction Time First (METF) method provides the optimal path and the extraction time for each component from the current reuser. The minimum extraction time of the component serves as a qualifier in qualification phase and achieves high potential reuse in terms of speed.