Performance Model Interchange Format: Semantic Validation

A Performance Model Interchange Format (PMIF) provides a mechanism whereby system model information may be transferred among queueing network model (QNM) based modeling tools. The PMIF allows diverse tools to exchange information and requires only that those tools provide importing/exporting mechanisms from/to the PMIF. The XML specification of the PMIF allows implementers to use widely available tools to parse the XML file, check the syntax, and simplify the translation to/from the XML format. Those tools, however, do not know the semantics of a QNM so they cannot check the XML to ensure that it contains a valid QNM. This paper presents the study of the validations needed to carry out such a semantic analysis, and the development of a semantic validation tool that can be used by any developer who wants to implement PMIF import/export mechanisms.