A Comparison and Evaluation of Real-Time Software Systems Modeling Languages

Abstract

A model-driven approach to real-time software systems development enables the conceptualization of software, fostering a more thorough understanding of its often complex architecture and behavior while promoting the documentation and analysis of concerns common to real-time embedded systems such as scheduling, resource allocation, and performance. Several modeling languages have been developed to assist in the model-driven software engineering effort for real-time systems, and these languages are beginning to gain traction with practitioners throughout the aerospace industry. This paper presents a survey of several real-time software system modeling languages, namely the Architectural Analysis and Design Language (AADL), the Unified Modeling Language (UML), Systems Modeling Language (SysML), the Modeling and Analysis of Real-Time Embedded Systems (MARTE) UML profile, and the AADL for UML profile. Each language has its advantages and disadvantages, and in order to adequately describe a real-time software system's architecture, a complementary use of multiple languages is almost certainly necessary. This paper aims to explore these languages in the context of understanding the value each brings to the model-driven software engineering effort and to determine if it is feasible and practical to combine aspects of the various modeling languages to achieve more complete coverage in architectural descriptions. To this end, each language is evaluated with respect to a set of criteria such as scope, formalisms, and architectural coverage. An example is used to help illustrate the capabilities of the various languages.

Improving consistency of AADL models: A composition approach

“…The UML profile for AADL is being adopted as a part of the MARTE profile. The strategy for combining the two provides a bridge to translate AADL models into MARTE, or vice-versa, the need should arise during a modeling effort 8 .…”

Towards a combination of MARTE and ECOA

“…Based on these expressed needs and taking into account a study reported in [7], MARTE was found as a suitable modeling language to implement the ECOA metamodel. It provides facilities to annotate models with information required to perform specific analysis [2].…”

“…A comparison and evaluation of real-time modeling languages was addressed in [7] with respect to amongst other criteria the scope, the formalism, and the architectural coverage. Several real-time software system modeling languages were reviewed, namely the Architectural Analysis and Design Language (AADL) [9], the Unified Modeling Language (UML) [10], Systems Modeling Language (SysML) [11], [12], the Modeling and Analysis of Real-Time Embedded Systems (MARTE) UML profile [2], and the AADL for UML profile.…”

Using UML for Learning How to Design and Model Cyber-Physical Systems

“…In this way, the proposed methodology in relation to the requirements elicitation is more expressive and simple to visualize. Moreover, AADL, UML, SySML and MARTE have certain limitations [30], that include the lack of abstractions for certain components like the operating system in real-time and the absence of behavior models (AADL); difficulties to handle a large amount of diagrams (UML and MARTE); the restriction to the utilization in the systems engineering domain only (SySML) and the complex underlying metamodel (MARTE). If necessary, the proposed methodology in this paper can be complemented with any of the mentioned modeling methodologies.…”