Model Checking Adaptive Software with Featured Transition Systems

Maxime Cordy, Andreas Classen, Patrick Heymans, Axel Legay, Pierre-Yves Schobbens

Abstract: We propose to see adaptive systems as systems with highly dynamic features. We model as features both the reconfigurations of the system, but also the changes of the environment, such as failure modes. The resilience of the system can then be defined as the fact that the system can select an adequate reconfiguration for each possible change of the environment. We must take into account that reconfiguration is often a major undertaking for the system: it has a high cost and it might make functions of the system unavailable for some time. These constraints are domain-specific. In this paper, we therefore provide a modelling language to describe these aspects, and a property language to describe the requirements on the adaptive system. We design algorithms that determine how the system must reconfigure itself to satisfy its intended requirements.