Component module classification for distributed software understanding

Effective analysis and evolution of existing distributed software systems rely to great an extent on the ability to recognise implemented executable components, particularly their constituent modules. Traditionally, this information is obtained via manual examination of configuration files and the source code directory hierarchy. However both types of artifact are limited in distinguishing which modules are used exclusively by each executable component. This exclusivity distinction is important in that it helps to understand the components' unique functionalities and their potential runtime behaviour. This paper presents a module classification technique that can facilitate automatic recognition of executable component modules in a distributed system. In contrast to existing approaches, the technique explicitly distinguishes component exclusive modules from modules shared by multiple components. The paper illustrates the benefits of the technique by reporting on the results of a case study where it has been useful to (a) revealing component exclusive modules in the source code for the field distributed programming environment; and (b) investigating some aspects of an implicit-invocation model of field described elsewhere. Applications of the technique to other software engineering tasks, such as change impact analysis, reuse and restructuring, are also discussed.