Abstract:
Open Systems are being presented as the way forward
for the construction of complex Computer Based Systems
(CBS) of all types. They have had some success but as
with all such attempts to solve problems in computing, it is
being touted as a panacea. Three years of work by VTS
into Open Systems has recognised the following pirfalls
with the current Open Systems approaches. Firstly, there
is no Open System specific engineering/architecting
process to guide developers who want to build an Open
System. Secondly, during the engineering of a supposed
Open System there is no way to evaluate if they are
actually building an Open System, or indeed if one has
ultimately been built. And finally, there is no way of
guaranteeing that the usual performance requirements of
the system will be met by the Open approach.
In this paper, application of the Open System
Engineering Measures (OSEM) work performed by UTS is
suggested as the basis of a system for monitoring and risk
analysis of Open Systems. However, the measurement
work is proposed as only one of the bases. UTS have also
perj4ormed other research which could be invaluable if
applied to monitoring and risk analysis. The other
research focuses on a process for open systems
development called an Open System Architecture
Methodology (OSAM), and the performance prediction and
analysis of open systems - Open System Performance
Modelling (OSPM).
If these three pieces of work were combined, then a
comprehensive monitoring and risk analysis strategy
could be put in place to manage three of the largest risk
areas of any project. These areas are failure to produce a
system which meets its performance deadlines; failure to
produce a system which is built according to best
engineering practice and failure to produce a system
which is open, which allows interoperation, portability,
scalability, and ultimately extensible at reasonable cost.
In the past, the customer has open had no real strategy
upon which to allay or confirm fears of the progress of a
large, low volume production project. The system
proposed herein would give the customer such a strategy.
