Methodology for development communication protocols

The development of communication protocols requires dedicated methodology. Although protocols can be regarded as software, the general software engineering methods are not sufficient to cope with the special features found in communication software. Most of the functionality is somehow related to the concept of state: a connection has a state or establishes states along its way, e.g. for the purpose of quality of service, interfaces have states, processes that handle a protocol have states.

A second peculiarity is that communication software needs to be precisely specified, many times in terms of an internationally approved standard. The reason is that communication protocols normally run between products of many different vendors. The interworking is only possible, if the precise specifications are followed.

The Telematics group has a long tradition in the development of specialized methodology for communication protocols, in particular specification and testing methods. The wide-spread and standardized specification language SDL and its application have been largely influenced by Prof. Hogrefe, who has published several books and papers on this issue.

The Testing and Test Control Notation TTCN has also been initiated by the Telematics group during the late 90-ies. TTCN is a specialized language to define precisely the test cases necessary to check whether a communication product, e.g. an internet protocol or a complete mobile phone, meets all the criteria to be able to interoperate with other communication products complying to the same standards. TTCN itself is an international standard by now and is being used by almost all major vendors of communication equipment.

Related Research Projects:
DAIDALOS II, TAROT, and IPT.