An Active-Architecture Approach to COTS Integration

  • Authors:

  • Brian Warboys;Bob Snowdon;R. Mark Greenwood;Wykeen Seet;Ian Robertson;Ron Morrison;Dharini Balasubramaniam;Graham Kirby;Kath Mickan

  • Affiliations:

  • University of Manchester;University of Manchester;University of Manchester;University of Manchester;University of Manchester;University of St. Andrews;University of St. Andrews;University of St. Andrews;University of St. Andrews

  • Venue:
  • IEEE Software
  • Year:
  • 2005

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Abstract

Developers increasingly use commercial off-the-shelf software products as standard components in integrated information systems. This creates challenges because the COTS products' developers and its source code are rarely available, and the ongoing development of COTS is unpredictable. The ArchWare framework approach recognizes COTS products as part of an information system's ambient environment; so incorporating COTS as effective system components is an important part of development. This integration of COTS components, and the composition of components, is captured by an active architecture model that changes as the system evolves. Indeed, the ArchWare framework uses an architecture modeling language that lets it express a system's monitoring and evolution. The authors structured this active architecture model using control system principles. By modeling both integration and evolution, it can guide the system's response to both predicted and emergent changes arising from the use of COTS products.