Methods and tools for the automated configuration of distributed applications from reusable software architectures and components

A reuse-oriented perspective is taken to designing and implementing configurable distributed applications. An application domain is defined as a family of systems that have some features in common and others that differentiate them. During domain engineering, reusable specifications, architectures and component types are developed which capture the similarities and variations of the family of systems that compose the application domain. Target systems are generated by tailoring the reusable specification and architecture given the requirements of the target system, and configuring a target system based on the tailored architecture. The paper describes a method and software engineering environment for configuring distributed applications from a reusable architecture and library of predefined component types