Property-driven runtime resolution of feature interactions

Abstract

The feature interaction problem occurs when two or more features interact and possibly conflict with each other in unexpected ways, resulting in undesirable system behaviors. Common approaches to resolving feature interactions are based on priorities, which are ineffective in scenarios where the set of features may evolve past the design phase, and where desirability of features may change dynamically depending on the state of the environment. This paper introduces a property-driven approach to feature-interaction resolution, where a desired system property is leveraged to determine which feature action should be enabled at a given context. Compared to existing approaches, our approach is capable of (1) providing resolutions even if the system evolves with new or modified features, and (2) handling complex resolution scenarios where the preference of one feature over the others may change dynamically. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through a case study involving resolution of safety-critical features in an intelligent vehicle.