Formal specification and analysis of software architectures using the chemical abstract machine model

We are exploring an approach to formally specifying and analyzing software architectures that is based on viewing software systems as chemicals whose reactions are controlled by explicitly stated rules. This powerful metaphor was devised in the domain of theoretical computer science by Banaˆtre and Le Me´tayer (1990) and then reformulated as the CHAM (CHemical Abstract Machine) by Berry and Boudol (1992). The CHAM formalism provides a framework for developing operational specifications that does not bias the described system toward any particular computational model. It also encourages the construction and use of modular specifications at different levels of detail. We illustrate the use of the CHAM for architectural description and analysis by applying it to two different architectures for a simple but familiar software system, the multiphase compiler