Formal Methods and Certification of Reusable Components

Maureen Stillman,Odyssey Research Associates
maureen@oracorp.com

Formal methods and certification of reusable components were discussed using a model of system and component ``reuse manufacturing.'' Reuse manufacturing was defined in terms of the following three groups:

1. Producers -- create reusable systems and components Producers are interested in creating high quality systems and components for reuse.

2. Brokers -- the marketers and sellers of reusable components Brokers want to let the consumers know what they have to sell and an accurate indication of the quality of the system or component.

3. Consumers -- obtain and use the reusable components Consumers are interested in what the component will do for them and also want an accurate indication of the quality of the component.

The discussions in the working group were in the context of the interests of these three groups. We focused our discussions on areas of interest to the group as outlined below.

• Metrics: What kind of metrics are being used in reuse repositories? How are these metrics calculated by the producer or broker? How do these metrics aid the consumer in choosing a component?

• Local certifiability, modularity, scalability, reuse after modification. How does the producer manage the task of certifying a large system? How does the consumer manage the task of modifying reusable components and ensuring their previous level of quality and assurance?

• More connections are needed between certification, verification, reuse and programming languages. How do the producer and consumer weigh and select among the myriad of tools and techniques available given that there is no standard prescribed methods to produce high quality reusable components? Should we start to address this by redefining our programming languages?

• Scope
• Research Issues
• Conclusions