Comprehensive specification of distributed systems using I⁵ and IOA

Low level difficulties in the development of distributed systems that are due to non-standard communication protocols and incompatible components or platforms have largely been solved through standardization and commoditization of protocols and platforms. Distributed systems are being designed at higher levels of sophistication these days, and having an expressive yet usable specification language is a valuable tool. IOA is a formal language for specifying the semantics of distributed systems. I⁵ is a specification framework for architectural definition of distributed systems, also intended as a basis for configuration management. I⁵ has five levels that specify mainly the structural characteristics at different levels of abstraction, but I⁵ does not address the semantics or dynamics of distributed systems interactions. We explore the integration of IOA and I⁵ to create combined specifications that enjoy the benefits of both specification languages: the five different levels of abstraction of I⁵ with their structural specification capabilities are enhanced by a semantic specification written in IOA. We show an example of a specification developed using IOA and I⁵ in an integrated way. We consider general approaches to such integrated specifications and discuss the possibilities and limitations of integrating IOA and I⁵, as well as our future work towards the complete integration.