Efficient re-resolution of SMT specifications for evolving software architectures

Abstract

We present a generic method for the efficient constraint re-resolution of a component-based software architecture after changes such as addition, removal and modification of components. Given a formal description of an evolving system as a constraint-specification problem, our method identifies and executes the re-resolution steps required to verify the system's compliance with constraints after each change. At each step, satisfiability modulo theory (SMT) techniques determine the satisfiability of component constraints expressed as logical formulae over suitably chosen theories of arithmetic, reusing results obtained in previous steps. We illustrate the application of the approach on a constraint-satisfaction problem arising from cloud-deployed software services. The incremental method is shown to re-resolve system constraints in a fraction of the time taken by standard SMT resolution.