Workshop on Modeling and Simulation for Design of Large Software-Intensive Systems: Challenges and New Research Directions; Tucson, Arizona; October 2003

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Fueled by Moore.s law of exponentially expanding computational and networking infrastructure, we are witnessing a trend toward ever-larger software structures to drive business, science, and military systems on such infrastructure. Unfortunately, the science of system design has lagged behind to guide the development of such software-intensive systems. Many issues arise in the design of such large, highly decentralized, collections of interacting parts. The increased connectivity and capability create new complexity that is difficult to control and dynamics that are difficult to predict. Computer-based modeling and simulation (M&S) methodology is required to address these issues since the scale is well beyond what analytical tools alone can handle and there is limited ability to do controlled experiments. Traditional M&S approaches have focused on the micro-level components rather than the macro level integration of these components. However, large software-intensive systems demand new M&S approaches for understanding the dynamic behaviors of very large inter-connected networks with very few loci of control and many interacting components. The goal of the proposed workshop is to explore directions for a science of M&S-based design for large software-intensive systems. To do this researchers in the theory and formalisms of M&S will be brought together with researchers in software development concepts and methodologies. Among software elements to be considered for their contribution to a science of design are: o Spiral development, a normative, flexible, risk-driven process model that is used to guide multiple stakeholders through concurrent engineering of software-intensive systems. o Formal method including the possibilities of .lightweight. variants that allow for inclusion of informal elements trading rigor for expressibility. o Architectural principles that provide uniform structures with known properties to organize the complexity of large systems. Architectural styles, design patterns and Unified Modeling Language constructs provide instances of such principles