A Runtime-Monitoring-Based Dependable Software Construction Method

Abstract

Software runtime monitoring mechanisms can be used to increase the dependability of software systems. However, it is a complex and burdensome job for developers to rebuild existing software systems by adding software runtime monitoring mechanism. Meanwhile, current software runtime monitoring mechanisms are mainly restricted to monitor centralized software systems. This paper presents a novel method, in which distributed software runtime monitoring mechanism is applied to construct dependable software systems, by using AOP technique. This method can satisfy users' changeful monitoring requirements, and decrease the development pressure of developers. Distributed software runtime monitoring mechanism, the kernel of which is a monitoring Web service that can collect runtime monitoring information and provide constant online monitoring information access service, can be repeatedly reused in software systems as a non-functional aspect that has been modeled in this paper. Then we implement a construction platform, which can automatically generate monitoring code and monitoring Web service according to users' monitoring requirements, automatically instrument monitoring code and service into the source code of software system, and then remotely monitor the instrumented software system through monitoring Web service, in terms of this essential idea. We choose a typical multi-thread program as a case study to demonstrate the practicability and feasibility of the approach.