Foundations of Component-Based Systems

This collection of top-notch articles by well-known experts brings together, for the first time, key elements of this area that are fast becoming the focus of much current research and practice in computing. About half the articles deal with theoretical frameworks, models, and systems of notation; the rest comprise case studies by architects of prototype systems who present findings on architectures verification. The emphasis is on advances in the technological infrastructure of component-based systems; how to design and specify reusable components; and how to reason about, verify, and validate systems from components. An introduction by Clemens Szyperski gives a snapshot of current research in the field.

This collection of articles by well-known experts was originally published in 2000 and is intended for researchers in computer science, practitioners of formal methods, and computer programmers working in safety-critical applications or in the technology of component-based systems. The work brings together several elements of this area that were fast becoming the focus of much research and practice in computing. The introduction by Clemens Szyperski gives a snapshot of research in the field. About half the articles deal with theoretical frameworks, models, and systems of notation; the rest of the book concentrates on case studies by researchers who have built prototype systems and present findings on architectures verification. The emphasis is on advances in the technological infrastructure of component-based systems; how to design and specify reusable components; and how to reason about, verify, and validate systems from components. Thus the book shows how theory might move into practice.

Introduction: component software - a snapshot and future directions Clemens Szyperski; Part I. Frameworks and Architectures: 1. Key concepts in architecture definition languages David C. Luckham, James Vera and Sigurd Meldal; 2. Acme: a basis for architectural integration David Garlan, Robert Monroe and David Wile; 3. An extensible language for composition Markus Lumpe, Franz Achermann and Oscar Nierstrasz; 4. A framework for a formal and automated approach to component-based reuse Betty H. C. Cheng and Yonghao Chen; Part II. Object-Based Specification and Verification: 5. Behavioral subtyping Gary T. Leavens and Krishna Kishore Dhara; 6. Modular specification and verification techniques for object-oriented software components Peter Mueller and Arnd Poetzsch-Heffter; 7. Respectful type converters for objects Jeannette M. Wing and John Ockerbloom; Part III. Formal Models and Semantics: 8. A formal model of componentware Klaus Bergner, Manfred Broy, Andreas Rausch, Marc Sihling and Alexander Vilbig; 9. General semantic spaces for specifications and templates David S. Gibson, Bruce W. Weide, Steven H. Edwards and Scott Pike; 10. An implementation-oriented semantics for module composition Joseph Goguen and Will Tracz; Part IV. Reactive and Distributed Systems: 11. Composition of reactive system components K. Lano, J. Bicarregui, T. Maibaum and J. Fiadeiro; 12. The IOA language and toolset: support for mathematics-based distributed programming Stephen J. Garland and Nancy A. Lynch.

This 2000 collection of articles by well-known experts moves from theoretical frameworks, models, and systems of notation to case studies by researchers. The emphasis is on advances in the technological infrastructure of component-based systems, how to design and specify reusable components, and how to verify and validate systems from components.