Handling clone mutations in simulink models with VCL

Like any other software system, real life Simulink models contain a considerable amount of cloning. These clones are not always identical copies of each other, but actually show a variety of differences from each other despite the overall similarities. Insufficient variability mechanisms provided by the platform make it difficult to create generic structures to represent these clones. Also, complete elimination of clones from the systems may not always be practical, feasible, or cost-effective. In this paper we propose a mechanism for clone management based on Variant Configuration Language (VCL) that provides a powerful variability handling mechanism. In this mechanism, the clones will be managed separate from the models in a non-intrusive way and the original models will not be polluted with extra complexity to manage clone instances. The proposed technique is validated by creating generic solutions for Simulink clones with a variety of differences present between them.