Formal timing analysis of OMT designs using LIMITS

It is widely known that object-oriented methodologies, in spite of all their virtues, are pretty awkward in verifying quantitative time correctness of the specification, design and implementation of a developed product. This paper discusses some reasons of why object-oriented methods cannot be quite aware of timing problems and how the situation could be improved. The discussion is illustrated with examples from HRT-HOOD and OMT. The technical contents of the paper is based on a new generation software tool LIMITS, which is designed and built as a co-processor to an OMT tool (EU grant COP-94-1577). Key theoretical and methodological issues of LIMITS insist on introduction of non-functional requirements (timing, safety, reliability, etc.) early in the requirements specification stage, selection of a time model with appropriate complexity to support formal verification of all the timing properties, support to all life-cycle stages and combining formal verification with informal (simulation) study.