Table Of ContentLanguage Constructs for Describing Features
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Stephen Gilmore and Mark Ryan (Eds)
Language Constructs
for Describing Features
Proceedings of the FIREworks workshop
i
Springer
Stephen Gilmore, BSc (Hons), PhD
Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science, The University of Edinburgh,
Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ
Mark Ryan, BA, MA, PhD
School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, BIS 2TT
ISBN 1-85233-392-8 Springer-Verlag London Berlin Heidelberg
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Language constructs for describing features: proceedings
of the FIREworks workshop
I.Application software -Development -Congresses
2.Telecommunication systems -Congresses 3.Communications
software -Congresses 4.Banks and banking -Data processing
-Computer programs -Congresses
I.Gilmore, Stephen II.Ryan, Mark, 1962-
005.7'1265
ISBN 1852333928
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
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Contents
Preface
Stephen Gilmore and Mark Ryan ...................................... vii
Invited papers
Structuring telecommunications features
Kenneth J. Turner ...................................................... 1
Feature-oriented description, formal methods, and DFC
Pamela Zave .......................................................... 11
Contributed papers
Use case maps as a feature description notation
Daniel Amyot ......................................................... 27
An incremental method for the design of
feature-oriented systems
Karim Berkani, Pascale Le Gall, and Francis Klay ..................... 45
Abstraction and refinement of features
Dominique Cansell and Dominique Mery .............................. 65
Proving feature non-interaction with
Alternating-Time Temporal Logic
Franck Cassez, Mark Dermot Ryan, and Pierre-Yves Schobbens ........ 85
Algebraic treatment of feature-oriented systems
Christophe Gaston, Marc Aiguier, and Pascale Le Gall ............... 105
The PEPA feature construct
Stephen Gilmore and Jane Hillston ................................... 125
A heuristic algorithm to detect feature interactions
in requirements
Maritta Heisel and Jeanine Souquicres ................................ 143
Defining features for CSP:
Reflections on the feature interaction contest
Malte Plath and Mark Dermot Ryan .................................. 163
Stack service model
D. Samborski ......................................................... 177
VI
The declarative language STR (State Transition Rule)
T. Yoneda and T. Ohta ............................................... 197
Modular feature integration and validation
in a synchronous context
Nicolas Zuanon ....................................................... 213
Preface
The concept of feature has emerged in the telecommunications industry as a
way of describing optional services to which telephone users may subscribe.
Features offered by telephone companies include Call Forwarding, Automatic
Call Back, and Voice Mail. Features are not restricted to telephone systems,
however. Any part or aspect of a specification which the user perceives as
having a self-contained functional role is a feature. For example, a lift or
elevator system may exhibit such features as: parking when idle; landing-call
preference when more than two-thirds full; and compartment-call cancellation
when empty. Thinking in terms of features is important to the user, who often
understands a complex system as a basic system plus a number of features.
It is also an increasingly common way of designing products.
This volume reports the proceedings of a workshop held on language con
structs which have been deployed to describe features, in May 2000 in Glas
gow. Themes of the workshop included:
• Syntax and semantics of feature constructs,
• Non-monotonicity of feature integration,
• Methodologies for feature-based specification and design,
• Feature-oriented architectures.
By focussing on language constructs, the Workshop is intended to comple
ment the Feature Interactions in Telecommunications and Software Systems
series of workshops which have taken place since 1992. Our workshop was
colocated and immediately prior to the sixth instance of that series.
The workshop was organised as part of the FIREworks ESPRIT Working
Group funded by the European Union (1997-2000). The aim of FIREworks
was to provide a feature-oriented approach to software design. In particular,
this encompasses the development of:
• Several feature-oriented specification languages (based on several existing
languages) .
• Verification methods for detecting and explaining conflicts between fea
tures; deducing consequences of feature combinations; and methods for
constructing test suites for feature combinations.
• Several case studies assessing the adequacy of the languages and tools.
In addition to talks from members of the group in this volume, we were glad
to welcome many contributions from other research workers in the field. Our
thanks go to all of the authors for their timely submissions of the papers, and
to the reviewers who helped us select among the submissions.
Stephen Gilmore Mark D. Ryan
The University of Edinburgh The University of Birmingham
List of participants
Marc Aiguier ([email protected]), University of Evry
Daniel Amyot ([email protected]), SITE, University of Ottawa
Karim Berkani ([email protected]), France Telecom R&D
Lynne Blair ([email protected]), Lancaster University
Jan Bredereke ([email protected]), University of Bremen TZI
Wiet Bouma ([email protected]), KPN Research
Franck Cassez ([email protected]), IRCyN Nantes
Bernard Cohen ([email protected]), City University, London
Tianbao Ding ([email protected]), SITE, University of Ottawa
Christophe Gaston ([email protected]), University of Evry
Stephen Gilmore ([email protected]), University of Edinburgh
Nikos Gorogiannis ([email protected]), University of Birmingham
Tom Gray ([email protected]), Mitel Corporation
Mario Kolberg ([email protected]), University of Strathclyde
Pascale Le Gall ([email protected]), University of Evry
Luigi Logrippo ([email protected]), SITE, University of Ottawa
Dominique Mery ([email protected]), LORIA
Dave Marples (dmarples@research. tekordia.com), Telecordia Technologies
Gustaf Naeser ([email protected]), Uppsala University
Jan Nystrom ([email protected]), Uppsala University
Tadashi Ohta ([email protected]), Soka University
Farid Ouabdesselam ([email protected]), Laboratoire LSR-IMAG
Jianxiong Pang ([email protected]), University of Lancaster
Ioannis Parissis ([email protected]), Laboratoire LSR-IMAG
Malte Plath ([email protected]), University of Birmingham
Stephan Reiff ([email protected]), University of Glasgow
Jean-Luc Richier ([email protected]), Laboratoire LSR-IMAG
x
Mark Ryan ([email protected]), University of Birmingham
Pierre-Yves Schobbens ([email protected]), University of Namur
Jacques Sincennes ([email protected]), SITE, University of Ottawa
Joanna Tomasik ([email protected]), University of Edinburgh
Ken Turner ([email protected]), Stirling University
Pamela Zave ([email protected]), AT&T Labs
Structuring Telecommunications Features
Kenneth J. Turner
Department of Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland (Email [email protected])
Abstract. It is argued that languages constructs for defining services are impor
tant in providing well-structured descriptions. This view is illustrated with two
service definition languages, ANISE (Architectural Notions In Service Engineering)
and CRESS (CHISEL Representation Employing Structured Specifications). ANISE is
a mainly textual notation for defining services through the composition of simpler
features, right down to the most elementary behaviours. CRESS is a mainly graph
ical notation for defining services through the composition of features with a root
description. Both approaches are described briefly with short examples.
1 Introduction
The range of telecommunications services continues to grow rapidly. The
primary motivation seems to be that services differentiate providers, and
are significant sources of revenue in their own right. The terms service and
feature tend to be used loosely and interchangeably, although service should
be reserved for what is marketed to a user, and feature should be reserved
for a component of a service.
The IN (Intelligent Network [6-8]), AIN (Advanced Intelligent Network)
and TINA (Telecommunications Intelligent Network Architecture [3]) have
provided a framework for new telecommunications services. New kinds of
telecommunications services are being introduced in the multimedia, mobile
and wireless arenas. New ways of providing third-party services are emerg
ing due to industry initiatives like JAIN (Java for Advanced/Java API for
Intelligent Networks [12]), Parlay [11] and TAPI (Telephony Application Pro
gramming Interface [10]). Service scripting by users (in the broadest sense)
is leading to new kinds of services.
There are two difficulties with this proliferation of services. Although each
initiative offers an approach to developing services, there is no uniform and
consistent architecture. The almost uncontrolled growth of services leads to
undesirable interference among services - the feature interaction problem [2].
It is the author's belief that telecommunications services urgently need
a theory and a uniform architecture. The title of this volume reflects the
same interest. There is considerable effort in the research community to de
tect feature interactions. This is, however, somewhat back-to-front. Consider
programming as an analogy. Programmers are expected to use good methods
in their program design and coding, for example structured/object-oriented
analysis and design. The emphasis is on developing well-structured programs.
S. Gilmore et al. (eds.), Language Constructs for Describing Features
© Springer-Verlag London Limited 2001
