SYNTHESIS, a Tool for Synthesizing Correct and Protocol-Enhanced Adaptors

Abstract

Adaptation of software components is an important issue in Component Based Software Engineering (CBSE). Building a system from reusable or Commercial-Off-The-Shef (COTS) components introduces a set of problems, mainly related to compatibility and communication aspects. On one hand, components may have incompatible interaction behavior. On the other hand, it might be necessary to enhance the current communication protocol. We address these problems by means of our tool (called SYNTHESIS) which allows one both for preventing incompatible interactions and for enhancing the communication protocol by synthesizing a suitable coordinator. We have validated and applied SYNTHESIS for assembling Microsoft COM/DCOM components.