Lightweight consistency analysis of dataflow process networks

Abstract

Process networks are a popular modelling technique for distributed computing and signal processing applications. The ability to support various parallelism or communication patterns also makes them suitable for modelling multiprocessor architectures. At the architecture description level, the language provides the flexibility to model actual processes using various formalisms. This is especially important when the systems are comprised of parts with distinct characteristics, e.g. control-based or dataflow-oriented. However, this heterogeneity of processes poses a challenge for the consistency analysis of process networks. This research proposes a lightweight method for analyzing the consistency of such networks. The method employs interface automata as a bridge between the architectural model and heterogeneous components representing concrete models of processes. Utilising interface automata, consistency is determined by a series of small tasks at both the architecture level and the component level. This separation of concerns simplifies the handling of heterogeneous components and alleviates the potential state space explosion problem when analyzing large systems.