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Overview of the SDL Suite
Architecture
The SDL Suite is a member of a wider tool family, which also includes the TTCN Suite and Logiscope.
The SDL Suite consist of a number of separate tools that process information. The tools are integrated using a selective broadcast integration mechanism, making it possible to design a highly integrated system from separate tools. This approach also makes it possible to add new tools without creating any conflicts with the existing tools. In addition, the integration between two separate tools can be easily enhanced, and tools can communicate with each other over a network.
The interface that ties the tools and editors is called The PostMaster. The parts of the Postmaster interface that are of interest for the users, are documented so that you can read about how to integrate your own tools with SDL Suite.
Starting the SDL Suite tools
The SDL Suite components are normally started by using the sdt start script in the bin directory of the installation. This script can take a number of options:
- sdt -reuse
If there is a running SDL Suite session, then the Organizer from that session is displayed. If there is no running SDL Suite session, then a new session is started.- sdt <system file>
Starts the SDL Suite components and loads the specified system file.- sdt <diagram file>
Starts the SDL Suite components and loads the specified diagram file in an editor.- sdt <archive file> [ <unpack directory> ]
Starts the SDL Suite components, unpacks the specified archive file, and loads any system file found in the archive file. The archive file is unpacked in the specified unpack directory. If no directory is specified, then the Organizer will display a dialog, asking for a directory to unpack in.- On UNIX,sdt -fg
Normally, the sdt start script immediately gives the user a new command line prompt for other commands. When sdt -fg or is used, the start script will wait until the SDL Suite is closed down before giving the user a new command line prompt.- sdt -noclients
This variant starts the Postmaster without starting any clients/applications such as the Organizer. Later, Postmaster clients can be started and attached to the postmaster. To attach to an existing postmaster, start a client with -post. Read more about this in Run-Time Considerations.- sdt -grdiff [ -notmoved ] v1.ssy v2.ssy [ [ -original o.ssy ] -mergeto r.ssy ]
Starts the SDL Suite components and immediately invokes the Compare Diagrams operation (see Compare Diagrams and Compare Diagrams), comparing the SDL diagram files v1.ssy and v2.ssy. The command can also be used to compare HMSC or MSC diagrams. The use of the -notmoved option corresponds to setting the option Ignore moved or resized objects to off. (Note that if you use the -n option on UNIX it will be processed by the X window system) Normally this means that moved and resized symbols will not be detected as being different. When the operation is finished, the SDL Suite is closed down. If the -mergeto option is used, the Merge Diagrams operation is used instead. (See Merge Diagrams and Merge Diagrams) and the merge result diagram is saved in r.ssy. If the -original option is used as well, then the merge operation tries to auto-merge differences using the o.ssy file as a guide for deciding how to merge v1.ssy and v2.ssy. o.ssy should point out an original diagram file version that both v1.ssy and v2.ssy are derived from. When using -grdiff to start a merge operation from another tool (such as a configuration management tool), combine -grdiff with -fg to have the other tool wait with processing the merge result file until after the merge operation is finished.- sdt -sdtdiff v1.sdt v2.sdt [ -mergeto r.sdt ]
Starts the SDL Suite components and immediately invokes the Compare System operation (see Compare System, comparing the system files v1.sdt and v2.sdt. When the operation is finished, the SDL Suite is closed down. If the -mergeto option is used, the user will be prompted to save the merge result when the operation is finished, and r.sdt is used as a proposed file name.Batch Facilities
The Batch Facilities are commands that you type from the OS prompt. These facilities take advantage of the Postmaster and pass messages to the tools, ordering the individual tools to process information as required. The batch facilities support the following operations:
- Printing (to file or to printer)
- Analyzing (typically syntactic and semantic check of an SDL system)
- Making (for instance building an application for target environment)
- Comparing SDL, MSC or HMSC diagrams (with a textual report)
Licensing Mechanism
The software license server controls the licensing of the tools included in SDL Suite. This is performed through a floating license mechanism based on a third party software, FlexNet PublisherTM. The current license numbers along with a key are stored on a text file, which is distributed at installation of the software. This provides a flexible way of upgrading licences and adding new license agreements, as well as allowing you to keep track of the actual usage of the tools you have purchased.
FlexNet supports multiple tools (even from different tool manufacturers) sharing the same license server, so IBM Rational should not cause any problems when installing it into your computer environment.
For increased flexibility in the use of licenses and to prevent started but unused tools from holding licenses, an optional timeout feature can be enabled. This will automatically release licenses when a user has been idle during a selectable interval.
For more information on license mechanisms, see Understanding IBM Rational Licenses.
Common Tools
The SDL Suite shares a set of tools common to SDL Suite and TTCN Suite:
- The Organizer features a graphical view of all diagrams and documents making up a system. This may include SDL hierarchies, Message Sequence Charts, Object Model diagrams, State Charts, High-level MSCs, TTCN documents and text documents. The view may be freely organized into chapters and modules according to your preference.
- The Link Manager and The Entity Dictionary maintains and visualizes Implinks and Endpoints. Implinks (short for implementation links) are used to trace the implementation and design decisions for concepts and objects between different phases in the development process. The link endpoints are texts and objects created in the editors described below. The Link Manager and the Entity Dictionary can be started from all of the editors.
- The Preference Manager allows you to set up or change the behavior of the tools by customizing the values of preference parameters. It is possible to specify whether a customized behavior should be project-wide or even company-wide, or if an individual user should be allowed to customize some behavior.
- When you are Printing Documents and Diagrams, there are various options that allow you to customize the printouts so that they fit in your documentation environment. Except for when you print TTCN documents, it is possible to generate, PostScript, encapsulated PostScript, FrameMakerTM, InterleafTM and web files. In Windows, you can also print to any printer you have set up in Microsoft Windows.
- The on-line help provides access to help on tools, windows, dialogs and commands. The on-line help is in HTML-format, featuring hypertext links and navigation support. The PostScript files that were used when printing this manual are also enclosed in the distribution. You are free to produce additional hard-printed copies of the manual pages that are of interest.
- The PostMaster implements the integration mechanism that ties the tools together. The public parts of the PostMaster interface are documented, allowing you to integrate your own tools with SDL Suite and TTCN Suite tools and the information they manage.
The SDL Suite Graphical Tools
The SDL Suite comprises the following graphical tools:
- The diagram editors are used for creating, editing and printing Object Model, State Charts, Message Sequence Charts and High-level Message Sequence Charts diagrams.
- The OM Editor uses the full graphical notations of OMT/UML. It keeps track of all class and object definitions with the same name in a scope of OM diagrams, and supports the merging of these definitions for maintaining a combined view of a class. The SC and HMSC editors work in a similar way.
- The MSC Editor uses the graphical notation defined in the standard Z.120. Also, it can serve as a powerful graphical trace tool when you simulate and validate a system specified in SDL. MSCs can also be verified for consistency with an SDL system when you use the SDL Explorer.
- The SDL Editor is used for creating, editing and printing specifications and descriptions using the graphical SDL notation defined in the standard Z.100. The SDL Editor also performs various syntax checks at editing time.
- Advanced functions include a context-sensitive grammar help and signal dictionary. When you edit an SDL diagram, the signal dictionary is automatically updated to contain all SDL signals that you add to a system and provides immediate access to them.
- The SDL Editor can also display Overview Diagrams of the SDL system, where the diagrams are displayed in a nested fashion.
- The SDL Type Viewer visualizes the impact of the inheritance and specialization mechanisms in your SDL-92 system. The Type Viewer produces a graphical tree that is of great assistance to understand and take full advantage of the SDL types1 that you have defined in an SDL system.
- The SDL Index Viewer presents listings of definitions and cross-references in a clear and easy-to-understand graphical notation. The Index Viewer is provided with filtering and navigation functions, with a trace-back to the source SDL or MSC diagrams.
- The SDL Coverage Viewer is a test coverage and profiling tool that displays the results of a simulation or validation as a graphical transition or symbol tree. The tool can present an overview of the system, coverage or a detailed view on a part of the system.
Other SDL Suite Tools and Back-End Facilities
The following additional tools and facilities are available:
1
- The Text Editor is used for creating, editing and printing ASCII text documents. The text documents can be textual requirements, use cases and other textual documentation used in the development process. The Text Editor can also be used for writing ASN.1 or C code to be linked to the SDL system.
- The ADT Library (library of Abstract Data Types) features a number of general ADTs that provide the basic services that are often needed when you design an SDL system. The ADT library is distributed in source code so you can tailor the ADTs to fit your specific requirements, if needed.
- The SDL Analyzer performs several functions. It performs syntactic and semantic analysis of your SDL descriptions, generates error reports and warnings in appropriate cases, and has the ability to produce information about definitions and cross references in an SDL system. The Analyzer also converts SDL information from the Graphical Representation (SDL/GR) to the textual Phrase Representation (SDL/PR). The reverse conversion is also possible, allowing you for instance to import PR files from other tools supporting SDL.
- The Cadvanced/Cbasic SDL to C Compiler transforms your SDL system into a number of C source files that are compiled and linked with an SDL Suite run-time library. The C code can be used for a number of purposes, depending on what libraries are available in your configuration (see below). The SDL to C Compiler is available in a Cbasic (for simulation and validation purposes), and a Cadvanced (for building any kind of application) version.
- The SDL Simulator library allows you to make an executable program, a simulator, which helps you to understand and debug the behavior of a system specification. The simulator can be controlled from a graphical user interface (SimUI).
- You can choose to focus on the external view of a system specification, where you are interested in the signal interface, or on the internal behavior of a system specification. The execution of a simulator can be traced in a graphical mode in the source SDL diagrams and can be logged graphically in terms of Message Sequence Charts. Target simulation is also supported.
- The SDL Explorer library allows you to make an SDL Explorer, an advanced "self-exploring" simulator that may be used for finding errors and inconsistencies in an SDL system and for verifying that a system is consistent with a Message Sequence Chart. The Explorer can be controlled from a graphical user interface (ExpUI).
- The Performance Library allows you to create a performance model of your SDL system that you run on your host computer. The library is optimized with respect to performance, so that a large amount of statistical data can be produced during a reasonable execution time.
- The Cadvanced SDL to C Compiler can be used for Building an Application for both host and target environments. Predefined Application libraries are available for specific host environments. The Master Library is the SDL Suite run-time library in source code format, which can be customized to fit different needs and operating systems.
- Integration with Operating Systems supports most of the commercially available real-time operating systems. You can also build applications where the runtime library schedules the system and sets the real-time pace.
- The Cmicro SDL to C Compiler is designed to meet the needs of small to mid-range microcomputer controlled applications. It translates an SDL system into optimized and compact C code with highly reduced memory requirements. The Cmicro SDL to C Compiler is part of the Cmicro Package which in addition consists of the Cmicro Library and the SDL Target Tester. The Cmicro Package can be ordered separately.
- The Cmicro Library is the "virtual SDL machine" needed to build an executable from the generated Cmicro Code.
- The SDL Target Tester allows testing and debugging of the generated SDL system while it is running on a target. A prerequisite is a communications link to a host system. The SDL Target Tester is an optional part of the Cmicro Package.
- TTCN Test Suite Generation is provided by two features: TTCN Link and Autolink. They provide a means to check the consistency between an SDL system managed by the SDL Suite and a test specification, expressed in TTCN2 managed by the TTCN Suite. TTCN Link generates the declarations of the test specification automatically. In the TTCN Suite, there is direct access to the SDL system specification and you can interactively build test cases. Autolink is a feature of the SDL Explorer, and can generate entire test suites from an SDL specification.
The SDL term type corresponds to the term class, used in many OO notations
2TTCN stands for Tree and Tabular Combined Notation. It is an ISO standard that is used to describe a test specification.
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