Model-Driven and Software Product Line Engineering - Model-Driven and Software Product Line Engineering - page 116

Figure4.7presentsourcomponentsmetamodel.Wetakethe
basicconceptsfromtheUML2metamodeltocreateasimplified
metamodel of components. This metamodel is also a subset of
the one developed in the AMPLE project in the context of its
Smart-Home case study [AMP 08]. A Component is a modular,
replaceable, and deployable piece of software, which interacts
with its environment through interfaces or ports [LU 05].
We specialize the Component metaconcepts in the Periodic
metaconcept. Thus, we can create Periodic (Component)
elements when the component is a periodic component in the
final software architecture of a Smart-Home system.A periodic
component is an active component whose offered services can
be executed periodically according to well-defined business
rules. A Port serves as a contract between the elements
it connects. Ports are usually of the type Interface .In
UML2, interfaces can be either Provided or Required ones.
Provided interfaces specify the providedOperations that a
component offers to their clients. Required interfaces specify
the requiredOperations that a component needs to perform
its functions. In UML2 Provided and Required interfaces
are related using connectors. To simplify our metamodel,
we connect Provided and Required interfaces creating a
directed relationship between them, useProvided . Finally,
a Component owns a unique identifier, componentName ,and a
set of Property elements.
Figure 4.7. The components metamodel