Verifying Collaborative Behavior in Component-Based DEVS Models

Abstract

Construction of models from reusable components requires clear and precise understanding of design and integration dependencies. Formalization of the semantics of such dependencies is a prerequisite for reasoning about compositional consistency. DEVS formalism provides a sound and powerful framework under which discrete event behavior and component coupling can be precisely defined. Reasoning about the interaction behavior of components to ensure that they are coordinated around specific collaboration constraints is a serious problem inherent in coupled DEVS models. At least two major complications arise: (1) analytically identifying components that violate required interaction constraints is difficult, and (2) the evolution and substitution of new participants in coupled models give rise to unanticipated behavioral conflicts. This article presents a solution technique that addresses both of these problems. Local consistency conditions are formalized, and decidable inference mechanisms are developed to facilitate determining the compositional consistency and safe refinement of DEVS models.