Testing a Component-Based Application for Road Traffic Crossroad Control Using the SimCo Simulation Framework

Component-based software development is an important trend in software engineering. Using this approach, a system can be constructed from a set of individual components (i.e. pieces of software with defined interfaces and functionality). On deployment, components are usually not tested for their correct functionality since this is considered to be implied. Simulation tests are nevertheless often used to determine extra-functional properties and quality of services. However, only models of the components are usually used for such testing. In this paper, we present the SimCo -- a simulation framework for testing of real software components in a simulation environment. This enables thorough tests of components without the need to create their (potentially incorrect) models. The SimCo itself is constructed from components as well in order to enable its modularity and usability. The utilization of the SimCo is demonstrated on a case study involving component-based application for the control of a road traffic crossroad.