An MDE approach to address synchronization needs in component-based real-time systems

In this work we present a strategy for addressing synchronization requirements in the model-driven component-based development of high-integrity real-time systems. The strategy we use regards separation of concerns as the cornerstone of the component-based development process, seeking to distinguish the responsibilities involved in specifying the system needs with regard to synchronization, from the responsibilities involved in the elaboration of a solution that provably satisfies those needs. In our vision the user expresses requirements related to the synchronization behavior of system components declaratively. This is done by attaching specification attributes to the affected elements of the system model. The underlying design environment is then in charge of producing a solution that guarantees that that behavior is achieved at run time. In contrast to classic component-oriented approaches, we consider synchronization requirements from the perspective of the client component instead of the provider one. We address the problem of high-level data races resulting from the lack of support for atomicity in the execution of sequences of operations that invoke multiple required interfaces.