Quantitative Analysis of Software Architectures (InfM-QASA)

Time and place:
Instructor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. André van Hoorn
Materials and Timetable: 

Content

Software quality is a key success factor for software systems. The lecture will introduce relevant foundations on quantitative software quality attributes and modeling formalisms. The lecture will focus on runtime software quality attributes. Building on these foundations, the lecture will introduce quantitative evaluation approaches using design and analytical models, and measurement-based approaches such as load/resilience testing, monitoring, and benchmarking, as well as advanced approaches and recent research results. The exercise focuses on discussing, applying, and deepening the concepts introduced in the lecture via examples and tools.

Concrete contents include:

• Software runtime quality metrics and objectives, focusing on performance, availability, scalability, elasticity, and resilience, including statistical foundations
• Software architecture descriptions (UML2 profiles, DSLs) with quantitative properties.
• Probabilistic analysis modeling formalisms and solution techniques, e.g., Markov chains, Queueing models (variants), Petri nets (variants), and Fault Trees.
• Transformations between design and analysis models and results.
• Measurement techniques, such as load and resilience testing/benchmarking, as well as monitoring.
• Advanced topics, e.g., scenario-based architecture evaluation, trade-off analysis, multi-criteria optimization, model extraction/calibration, and hybrid evaluation approaches, i.e., combining models and measurements.

Classes and types of instruction

The module InfM-QASA Quantitative Analysis of Software Architectures comprises the courses 64-440 Lecture Quantitative Analysis of Software Architectures and 64-441 Exercises Quantitative Analysis of Software Architectures.

Applicability and participation requirements

The module InfM-QASA Quantitative Analysis of Software Architectures is associated with the study programs Informatik M.Sc. and Intelligent Adaptive Systems M.Sc. – the utilization for other study programs may be possible in the elective area.

There are no formal requirements for participation, but basic knowledge of Software Engineering (e.g. from the bachelor module InfB-SWT Softwaretechnik) is expected and the module InfM-SWA Software Achitectures is recommended.

Coursework and Examination

It is required to participate in the exercises and to solve serveral assignments. The precise criteria will be announced in the first classes.

The examination takes the form of an oral exam.

Literature

We recommend the following materials:

• L. Bass, P. Clemens, R. Kazman: Software Architecture in Practice, Fourth Edition. Addison Wesley, 2021
• V. Cortellessa, A. Di Marco, P. Inverardi: Model-Based Software Performance Analysis. Springer, 2014.
• K. S. Trivedi, A. Bobbio: Reliability and Availability Engineering: Modeling, Analysis, and Applications. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
• S. Kounev, K.-D. Lange, J. von Kistowski: Systems Benchmarking: For Scientists and Engineers, Springer, 2021

Further material and reading suggestions will be announced in class.