Open Source, Commercial, and Other Toolsets

The tool strategy for AADL has two aspects:

  • The SEI is making available the open-source AADL tool environment (OSATE) that includes an AADL front-end and architecture analysis capabilities as plug-ins to the open source Eclipse environment. Airbus is providing an open source graphical editor that is integrated with OSATE under the TOPCASED initiative.
  • The AADL standard includes an XMI specification and XML schema definition of AADL models, and the XML provides a common interchange format between front-end tools and various backend analysis and generation tools. As a result, this approach offers a tool integration and interoperability strategy for companies to combine existing tools with commercially provided tools and research prototypes into a model-based embedded systems engineering tool environment.

 

Figure 1: XML-Based Tool Integration Strategy


Open Source Tool Solutions

  • The SAE AADL accommodates the SEI Open Source AADL Tool Environment (OSATE), which provides a low entry-cost solution based on Eclipse and the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF).
  • A graphical editor for AADL is available through the TOCPASED effort led by Airbus. The TOPCASED tool environment includes a graphical editor generator for Ecore-based model descriptions, a graphical Ecore editor, a graphical UML2 editor, a graphical SAM editor, and a first version of a graphical AADL editor. The OSATE and TOPCASED teams are actively working on integrating the TOPCASED graphical AADL editor with OSATE.
  • The Furness toolset from Fremont Associates integrates and enhances several open-source tools to create a single unified environment for design, analysis and implementation of embedded systems. For instance
    • AADL to ACRS (process algebra)—formal analysis of concurrent resources
    • AADL to Charon—generation and integration of hybrid control systems
    • AADL Architecture Simulator—integrates event driven and schedule driven
    Version 1.2.0 of the Furness toolset is available at http://www.furnesstoolset.com. This release includes schedulability analysis and interactive simulation of synchronous AADL system instance models, as well as the Furness Perspective.

Commercial Tool Support

  • ElliDiss has enhanced their commercial HOOD/STOOD tool environment with full graphical AADL support

Other Tools

  • The SAE AADL standard suite includes an annex document that defines the AADL meta model, XML schema, and a XMI specification.
  • ADeS, the Axlog AADL simulator
  • ANDES (Analysis-based DEsign tool for wireless Sensor networks)
  • Cheddar, a free real-time scheduling tool designed to check task temporal constraints
  • Ocarina uses AADL for modeling the application as well as the middleware.
  • The Assumption Management Framework (AMF) developed by Ajay Tirumala at UIUC