Object-oriented design techniques applied to an integrated support station

As technologies change, it often becomes necessary to upgrade large hardware/software multiprocessor-based systems. System upgrades are desirable because they can provide enhancements such as graphical user interfaces (GUI), increased system integrity, and improved software reliability. This paper discusses the application of object-oriented design techniques in the upgrade of the ALM-172A and ALM-172B Integrated Support Stations (ISS) to the ALM-172C ISS. These systems are used to provide software maintenance support for the F-15 Tactical Electronic Warfare System (TEWS). The original ISSs each consisted of a control console hosted on a VAX and two multiprocessor subsystems. The control consoles provided a single command-line interface for each system. The upgraded ISSs each consist of a control console hosted on a Pentium PC, two multiprocessor subsystems with their interfaces hosted on 486 PCs, and a single-processor subsystem hosted on Pentium PC. The new control console replaced the command-line interfaces with a redesigned and enhanced GUI; additional use of object-oriented programming techniques helped to streamline and improve access to the underlying hardware, and dramatically improved system reliability.