Systems = components + languages: Building a flexible real-time simulation and test environment

Abstract

Building a flexible system is difficult, particularly if each instance of the system will be highly customised. This paper describes how an ERTMS Railway Simulator and Test Environment system was designed using abstractions, components and purpose specific languages. The use of components and modularisation provides the basis for reliability and testability, whereas the use of languages provides for flexibility to match the generic simulation environment to the problem in hand. The challenge of using Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) hardware and software for large real-time systems is also discussed. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003.