A case study for generic processes and reusability in LOTOS

Abstract

The benefits of reusability have been widely documented and commented upon. When processes exhibit similar behaviour the possibilities for generic process specification exist. It is possible to construct process specifications by instantiating generic process descriptions. In this paper we investigate the identification and specification of reusable components using the formal specification technique (FDT) LOTOS. We discuss the semantics of reusability as defined in LOTOS and apply them to a case study problem. We specify a simple control system for use within a greenhouse environment and concentrate upon the identification and specification of generic, reusable processes found within the case study system.