Getting Started
PolarSys CHESS provides a model-driven, component-based, methodology and tool support for the development of high-integrity systems for different domains, with a strong focus on the modeling and analysis of non-functional properties and constraints.
The PolarSys CHESS toolset is composed by: i) a custom modeling language based on UML, called CHESS ML; ii) extensions to the Papyrus UML graphical editor; iii) model validators; iv) a set of model transformations enabling the automated execution of different techniques for the analysis of schedulability and dependability properties; and v) a set of code generators toward multiple language targets.
The CHESS State-Based Analysis plugin (CHESS-SBA) performs quantitative dependability analysis using a variant of the Stochastic Petri Nets (SPN) formalism. In practice, this means that the tool computes architecture-level probabilistic dependability measures (e.g., probability of function failure), based on failure rates and propagation behavior of components, and a CHESS ML description of the architecture.
It is not possible to run the plugin as a standalone program, but can only be used as part of the PolarSys CHESS framework. With respect to the list above, it falls in category iv) (model transformations enabling the automated execution of different techniques for the analysis of schedulability and dependability properties).
As illustrated below, the plugin receives as input a CHESS ML model, extracts the needed information into an Intermediate Dependability Model, and finally generates the Stochastic Petri Net model representing the dependability behavior of the system under analysis.
The generated SPN model is then analyzed using a specialized tool, and the resulting metrics back-annotated in the original CHESS ML model, thus being directly available for the designer.
The easiest way for a first installation of CHESS-SBA is to download the full PolarSys CHESS bundle. The plugin is known to work with version 0.10.0 of the CHESS Framework; it has not been tested with more recent versions.
Simply:
- download the CHESS Framework for your platform (be sure to download version 0.10.0);
- unpack the archive in a folder of your choice;
- run the
eclipse( oreclipse.exe) binary.
Pease make sure that Java 7 or higher is available on your system.
PolarSys CHESS can also be installed on top of an existing Eclipse installation, using the CHESS update site. Although this method is not recommended, instructions can be found here.
Updates and bugfixes for the CHESS-SBA plugin are released periodically here, typically much faster than the Polarsys CHESS official releases. You can install updates by adding the following update site to your Eclipse installation:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/montex/CHESS-SBA/updatesite
Please note that the link above is not a proper website and only works as an Eclipse update site.
Now that you have installed the tool, move on to understand the CHESS philosophy.