Multicomponent Compatibility and its Verification

Abstract

Software architecture has been introduced with promise of better re-use of software, greater flexibility, scalability and higher quality of software services. Software architecture uses components as the basic building blocks of software systems. Components represent high-level software models; they must be generic enough to work in a variety of contexts and in cooperation with other components, but they also must be specific enough to provide easy reuse. To be composable with other (third-party) components, a component needs to be sufficiently self-contained. Also, it needs a clear specification of what it requires and what it provides. In other words, a component needs to encapsulate its implementation and interact with its environment by means of well-defined interfaces.