Checking timing constraints in distributed object-oriented programs

Abstract

In real-time systems design-assumptions can be divided into functional and temporal assumptions. While checks for functional correctness are already addressed by some modern programming languages (e.g. Eiffel's pre- and postconditions), checks for temporal correctness are usually out of the scope of the existing programming or runtime systems. Our work in the DIRECT [GKS94] project tries to fill this gap. A methodology for specifying and checking timing constraints in an object-oriented environment is presented. The approach extends previous work on RTL[JM86] (Real-Time Logic) based monitors towards an object-oriented responsive system. The paper focuses on how object-orientation can be utilized to simplify the specification and the checking of timing constraints and how this can be integrated into an existing programming language like C++.