Dynamic evolution of distributed systems specifications using reflective language

The object-oriented approach is known by its flexibility for system construction. Current work has not addressed the dynamic modifications of specifications of distributed systems. We are concerned with formal description techniques that allow for the development and the dynamic modification of executable specifications. A two level model for the evolution of large object-oriented specifications is introduced. The first level deals with the dynamic modifications of types (classes), while the second level deals with modifications of modules. We have defined a set of structural and behavioral constraints to ensure the specification consistency after its modification at both levels. To allow for dynamic modification of types and modules, we have developed a reflective object-oriented specification language (Mondel) which uses meta objects to support the modification operations