Runtime monitoring based on interface specifications

Unclear descriptions of software interfaces between components often lead to integration issues during development and maintenance. To address this, we have developed a framework named ComMA (Component Modeling and Analysis) that supports model-based engineering of components. ComMA is a combination of Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) for the specification of interface signatures, state machines to express the allowed interaction behaviour, and constraints on data and timing. From ComMA models a number of artefacts can be generated automatically such as proxy code, visualizations, tests, and simulation models. In this paper, the focus is on the generation of runtime monitors to check interface conformance, including the state machine behaviour and the specified data and time constraints. We report about the development of this approach in close collaboration with the development of medical applications at Philips.