Model Interpreter Frameworks: A Foundation for the Analysis of Domain-Specific Software Architectures

Prediction of the quality attributes of software architectures requires technologies that enable the application of analytic theories to component models. However, available analytic techniques generally operate on formal models specified in notations that cannot flexibly and intuitively capture the architectures of large-scale distributed systems. The construction of model interpreters that transform architectural models into analysis models has proved to be a complex and difficult task. This paper (1) describes a methodology for performing automated analysis of architectural models that simplifies the development of model interpreters and enables effective reuse of interpreter logic, and (2) demonstrates how a framework that utilizes the methodology can be designed, implemented, utilized, and evaluated.1