A software performance engineering tool based on the UML-SPT

Software performance engineering by C. U. Smith. (1990) (SPE) proposes methods to evaluate performance of software systems early in the development process. A SPE accepted approach consists in deriving performance models from UML specifications, usually annotated according to the OMG profile for schedulability, performance and time specification. We introduce here a new SPE tool that fits in the OMG framework and implements most of the features given by J.P.Lopez-Grao et al. (2004). The tool allows to design UML diagrams annotated according to the UML-SPT, and automatically generates a performance model in terms of generalized stochastic Petri nets (GSPN), using the GreatSPN file format. The input of the tool constitutes a software model designed as a set of UML state machines, whose activities can be modelled using UML activity diagrams. The class diagram specifies system population and the deployment diagram models some inter-nodes characteristics (i.e. network speed).