Durra: a structure description language for developing distributed applications

Abstract

Durra is a language and runtime support system for developing distributed applications. In this paper, we describe the general nature of these applications, and the need for separating structural and behavioural details. A Durra user describes an application as a set of components (application tasks and communication channels), a set of alternative configurations showing how these components are connected at runtime, and a set of conditional configuration transitions that take place at runtime. We illustrate these features through examples drawn from the fault tolerance domain. We conclude with an illustration of the use of Durra in an incremental software development scenario.