The overview of Arch3D

Arch3D is a tool suite for modeling, visualizing, analyzing, implementing and evolving software and systems architectures. Its tools can be divided into three categories: architecture modeling, runtime framework and evolution tools.

Architecture modeling.

We have built our infrastructure to model Dedal that are defined in Xml schemas, and Java classes.

• Dedal Xml schema. The Dedal architecture description is expressed using Xml(Extensible Markup Language) [Biron04]. The syntax of Dedal architectures is defined using Xml schemas.
• Arch3D-JDC. In order to facilitate the edition of the Dedal Xml files, the Dedal Xml description of software architectures are mapped into Java data classes (abbreviated as JDC in Arch3D) using JAXB. The Java data classes are synchronized with Xml files.
• Arch3D-JModel. In order to support evolution and avoid the no-checking operations on architectures, we extend JDC with JModel. It is a Java-based Dedal model with evolution support.

Architecture implementation framework.

The runtime system is modeled using Arch3D-REF (Runtime Evolution Framework).

• Arch3D-REF. The architecture implementation framework is Arch3D-REF(Runtime Evolution Framework) in our environment. It is a runtime environment supporting dynamic software evolution. It embeds Arch3D-IEM (Implementation Evolution Management) to support the dynamic evolution of the runtime system. Arch3D-IEM also plays the communicating role between software architecture description and runtime system.

Tools.

The development and evolution of software architectures based on Dedal is manipulated through specic tools that include Arch3D-Editor, AEC (Architecture Evolution Center), Arch3D-Analyzer (Consistency Checker).

• Arch3D-Editor. Arch3D-Editor is a graphical editor to visualize and modify
  software architectures. It can show software architectures in formats: tree,
  tree-table, graph, Bnf-based text and Xml.
• Arch3D-AEC. Arch3D-AEC (Architecture Evolution Center) is a management center to control software architecture evolution, including evolution planning, implementation and re-engineering.
• Arch3D-Analyzer. Arch3D-Analyzer is an architecture consistency checking tool to assess the correctness and consistency of architecture descriptions. The analysis criteria covers behavior, name, interface, interaction and refinement consistency checking.