Overview of the LOTOSPHERE Design Methodology

摘要

The direction of work in the LOTOSPHERE design methodology is presented. Somebasic concepts in distributed systems' design are examined and areas for further research and development are identified. The needs of the design process for distributed systems are defined and analyzed in order to determine how the use of a formal design language such as LOTOS (Language Of Temporal Ordering Specification) can improve this process. A top down view of the design trajectory is used in order to introduce the design goals, and related definitions and concepts. In this context, the role of abstraction is discussed as the concept that supports step wise refinement, and the role of design languages is discussed as the means to represent the relevant properties of a system. A more elaborated design trajectory takes into consideration the deviation cases from the straight top down model. This analysis ends up at the level of design steps, at which design concerns are identified as the areas of interest: the design methods that comprise the methodology. The study intends to provide a framework for the effective use of formal description techniques in distributed system design, which is to be applied in the scope of the ESPRIT 2 LOTOSPHERE Project.