Component behavior prediction and monitoring through built-in test

Abstract

Real-time systems or safety-critical applications require high-confidence software components. Component behavior prediction refers to the ability to check, even certify, component specification conformance at development time. Complementarily, odd and varied execution contexts linked to the idea of deployment impose extra checking when components are deployed. This paper proposes incorporation of the test into components. Component states and complex dependencies between these states are methodically specified using UML statechart diagrams. Code is next derived in order to verify at development time component functioning in relation to specification. At deployment time, facilities are offered for (re-)configuring components to carefully fit specific runtime environments. Built-in test (BIT) material may thus be optionally generated in components to capture execution conditions and to make possible component behavior adjustments. All of these principles are powered by means of the BIT/J dedicated Java library that is presented and illustrated in the paper.