System and Software Engineering Research 1 Motorola Copyright 2001 A Perspective on Harmonisation: Benefits and Barriers Clive Jervis Rapporteur Q15 Motorola UK Research Labs

System and Software Engineering Research 2 Motorola Copyright 2001 ITU Languages Across Lifecycle SDL Design Box Testing System/Integration Testing UKUSARMTR air_in taxi_in taxi_out air_out ITU, ETSI Standards UKUSARMTR air_in taxi_in taxi_out air_out UKUSARMTR air_in taxi_in taxi_out air_out UKUSARMTR air_in taxi_in taxi_out air_out UKUSARMTR air_in taxi_in taxi_out air_out Code TTCN Test Generation Code Generation Box Requirements System Requirements Test Generation MSC ITU languages are being used together today! ASN.1 Everywhere!

System and Software Engineering Research 3 Motorola Copyright 2001 Problems: User Perspective Disparate languages that require: individual training separate tools & licenses Poor formal connection between languages: leads to misuse of languages - e.g. MSC conditions used to represent SDL states limited support for moving between languages - e.g.MSC to SDL or TTCN SDL to TTCN Management Perspective: expensive tool & training costs demarcation, i.e. less transferable skills Opportunity: More integrated tools leading to improved productivity, wider uptake

System and Software Engineering Research 4 Motorola Copyright 2001 Some Benefits & Barriers Wouldn’t it be nice if: there was a common look & feel across all notations - e.g. common representation for basic types, such as strings, Booleans,... one notation could be used within another notation - e.g.parts of an SDL system could be defined by MSCs TTCN could incorporate SDL diagrams for state based test scripts there was a universal data language - e.g.ASN.1 could define operations, pointer types, … Unfortunately: languages evolve independently - there are exceptions, such as GFT/MSC same concepts treated differently - e.g. time no general interfaces provided in languages - exception is MSC universal data interface - cannot use one notation within another different formal basis between languages - e.g. MSC receive events, SDL/TTCN have consume events

System and Software Engineering Research 5 Motorola Copyright 2001 Harmonisation: Minor Steps New recommendation that defines things common to all languages in family meta-grammars, graphical and textual basic lexical definitions - e.g.,,, … basic graphical symbols - e.g.,, Compile glossary for commonly (mis)used terms technical terms (i.e. have formal meaning in recommendations) - gates, environments, ports, messages time - e.g. distinguishing timers, constraints, durations, absolute, relative … - agree timer event names (set, reset, timeout, stop, start, end) descriptive terms (have informal meaning in recs.) - e.g. specification, design, implementation Define common document formats e.g. agreed subsection titles & order

System and Software Engineering Research 6 Motorola Copyright 2001 Harmonisation: Medium Steps Agreement of core concepts data types - e.g.time, duration, Boolean, integers, … (does not have to be formal - e.g. absolute time will be measured in seconds, represented by decimal numbers) events - instantaneous, or take time - is creation one event or two (creating & created)? channels & buffering Define relationship between languages will permit languages to be used together accurately - e.g.does a message receipt in MSC correspond to message arrival or message consumption in SDL/TTCN? will allow tools to span languages correctly - e.g. test generation from SDL to TTCN verify SDL upholds MSCs map types of one language to another

System and Software Engineering Research 7 Motorola Copyright 2001 Harmonisation: Major Steps Common semantic framework one semantic framework consisting of dynamic model, static model, data model, … Have core notation(s) and profiles e.g. TTCN as profile of SDL GFT as profile of MSC SDL Types as profile of ASN.1 Parameterise non-core aspects of a language have separate languages for each core concept - e.g.ASN.1 for data SDL for state machine definitions ??? for channel/buffering semantics ??? for time/performance parameterise non-core aspects - permits users to ‘bolt-in’ their favourite languages/notations - e.g.data in MSC