Analysis based on components and architecture

This chapter presents methods for modelling and analysing the component architecture of a system. It deals with the information that can be deduced from components and the way in which the components are connected. Simple and aggregated components are described in terms of their generic properties, which include the service offered by a component in different modes of operations and the conditions under which component faults occur. Properties of selected simple components are discussed and their aggregation into generic components at a higher level is illustrated. Formal methods for describing generic components are introduced. Algebraic and graph-theoretic methods are employed to analyse the propagation of faults through the faulty system.