Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Espreso — A system for process control software specification

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Specification and Design of Software Systems (OS 1982)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 152))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 111 Accesses

Abstract

This paper outlines ESPRESO, a specification system for process control software, which was developed at Nuclear Research Center, Karlsruhe, Federal Republic of Germany. ESPRESO is based on some new ideas, which are combined with elements taken from other systems. ESPRESO consists of a set of concepts, a specification language, a tool for the management, evaluation and validation of specifications, and the method how to use the system. Language, tool, and method are carefully adapted to the concepts. The aim was to demonstrate some ideas not found in the specification systems currently available, rather than to provide another product for the software market.

The concepts of ESPRESO where abstracted from the most common tasks in real time programming, focusing on process communication. All operations are precisely defined. The concept of modules allows for the definition of static units which hide their internal structure from the outside.

An attribute grammar was used, which describes not only the context sensitive syntax of the language, but also the effect of operations on the stored specification.

The tool-component was partially coded in PASCAL, and installated on IBM-OS and VAX-VMS. While ESPRESSO is already being used for the specification of a nuclear reactor safety system, more components are being implemented in order to provide means for validation and documentation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Ludewig, J., Streng, W.: Methods and Tools for Software Specification and Design — A Survey, European Workshop on Industrial Computers, TC on Safety and Security, 1978

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ludewig, J.: Process Control Software Specification in PCSL, in V. Haase /ed./, IFAC/IFIP Workshop on Real-Time Programming, Graz, April 1980, Pergamon Press, pp. 103–108, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  3. Knuth, E., Rado, P.: Principles of Computer Aided System Description, Report No. 117/1981 of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1502, P.O.B. 63, Budapest, Hungary, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  4. Chen, P.P.-S.: The Entity Relationship Model — Toward a Unified View of Data, ACM Trans. on Data Base Systems, 1, pp. 9–36, 1976

    Google Scholar 

  5. Naur, P. /ed./: Revised Report on the Algorithmic Language ALGOL 60, Numerische Mathematik, 4, pp. 420–453, 1963

    Google Scholar 

  6. Watt, D.A.: An Extended Attribute Grammar for PASCAL, SIGPLAN-Notices 14, No. 2, pp. 60–74, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  7. Knuth, D.E.: Semantics of Context-free Languages, Math. System Theory, 2,2, pp. 127–145, 1968 /see also 5, 1, pp. 95–96, for corrections; same author and title, 1971/

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. Lalive d'Epinay, Th. /ed./: TC 8 Up to Date Report, European Workshop on Industrial Computer Systems /EWICS/, Technical Committee on Real-Time Operating Systems, Paper no. I-1-8, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  9. Ludewig, J.: Zur Erstellung der Spezifikation von Prozessrechner-Software, Doctoral dissertation, Technical University Munich; Reprinted as KfK-Report No. 3060, Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe, FRG. /in German/, 1981

    Google Scholar 

  10. Eckert, K., Ludewig, J.: ESPRESO-W, ein Werkzeug für die Spezifikation von Prozessrechner-Software, in Goos, G. /ed./: Werkzeuge der Programmiertechnik, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, pp. 101–112, /in German/, 1981

    Google Scholar 

  11. Ludewig, J.: Specification of a Specification Language, to be published in Hasegawa /ed./, 11th IFAC/IFIP Workshop on Real-Time Programming, Kyoto 1981, Pergamon Press, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  12. Teichroew, D., Hershey III., E.A.: PSL/PSA: A Computer Aided Technique for Structured Documentation and Analysis of Information Processing Systems, IEEE Trans. Software Eng., SE-3, pp. 41–48, 1977

    Google Scholar 

  13. Alford, M.: A Requirements Engineering Methodology for Real Time Processing Requirements, IEEE Trans. Software Eng., SE-3, pp. 60–69, 1977

    Google Scholar 

  14. Jackson, K., Harte, H.F.: The Achievement of Well Structured Software in Real-Time Applications, Proc. of the IFAC/IFIP Workshop on Real-Time Programming, Rocquencourt, June 1976, Pergamon Press, pp. 229–239, 1976

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brown Boveri Research Center, 5405, Baden, Switzerland

    Jochen Ludewig

Authors
  1. Jochen Ludewig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Elöd Knuth Erich J. Neuhold

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1985 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Ludewig, J. (1985). Espreso — A system for process control software specification. In: Knuth, E., Neuhold, E.J. (eds) Specification and Design of Software Systems. OS 1982. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 152. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0051563

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0051563

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-12284-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-39605-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation