1. Software Connectors – A Taxonomy Approach
Nikunj Mehta
USC-CSE

2. Software Architectures
Model run time structure of applications
Describe the elements, form and rationale
Used to analyze system properties
Formal representation of elements
Domain specific styles
Limited modeling primitives
Implementation decisions considered outside the scope
Concentrate on application architecture instead of network and system architecture
Application architecture is not only structure at design time, but includes runtime behavioral model and also identifies the variations possible
Elements are still not universally accepted and are still in evolution
Representing the elements will help formal analysis and evaluation
Architectures differ from technology, products and styles.
Style  Architecture  Technology  Product
Styles comprise of the overall constraints and guidelines for modeling
However, the transformation of solution concerns from system to software and conceptual to concrete architecture is not completely mapped out.
11/15/2018
WESAS 2000

3. Components Or Connectors
Mostly not well understood
Fairly well understood
Second-class citizens
Original inhabitants
System dynamism
Middleware
Bugs
Logic, optimization
Meet extra-functional properties
Realize functional requirements
Domain independent
Domain dependent
Interactions and protocols
Memory and Computation
Connectors
Components
Components typically provide a business oriented user service whereas the connectors provide general and repeating services. E.g. authentication is connector oriented whereas bill payment is more likely component service
Separating the business logic and analysis from computer science.
Are security services connectors or are they components?
Does it depend on the style whether something is considered a connector or not?
11/15/2018
WESAS 2000

4. Richer Connectors Role of connectors
To mediate interactions among components
To provide auxiliary mechanisms for interaction
Large scale development does not adequately address issues of interaction
Simple and Complex connectors
Procedure calls, module dependencies, pipes are simple
DNS, remote procedure calls, repository access, concurrency and synchronization are complex
Focus on connectors
component logic is essentially frozen early in life cycle
connectors evolve to improve levels of service
Modern distributed systems impose special requirements on the connectors.
11/15/2018
WESAS 2000

5. Classification Framework
Atomic elements
Ducts, data transfer and control transfer
Service categories
Communication
Coordination
Conversion
Facilitation
Connector types, dimensions
Finitely many values
11/15/2018
WESAS 2000

6. 11/15/2018
WESAS 2000

7. Connector Composition
Connectors have internal architecture
Composed of simpler components and connectors
Composition of interaction services for richer connectors
E.g. multi-way procedure call connectors
Orthogonal and compatible connector dimensions
OTS middleware for realizing rich connectors
Mappings to services in OMG’s Object Management Architecture
11/15/2018
WESAS 2000

8. Future Work Connector taxonomy Architecture implementation framework
Evolution of connector dimensions and values
Architecture implementation framework
Composition of arbitrarily complex connectors
Architectural gauges and connector instrumentation
Architecture based software evolution
Architectures for small-and-the-many systems
Adaptability and efficiency tradeoffs
11/15/2018
WESAS 2000