Performance variability in software product lines

Abstract

In the research on software product lines, product variants typically differ by their functionality, and quality attributes are more or less similar across products. To accumulate empirical evidence, this paper presents a descriptive case study of performance variability in a software product line of mobile network base stations. The goal is to study the motivation to vary performance, and the strategy for realizing performance variability in the product line architecture. The results highlight that the evolution of customer needs motivates performance variability; performance variability can be realized either with software or hardware variability strategy, with the latter often being prevailing; and the software strategy can be kept focused by downgrading performance.