OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS OF SOFTWARE-CONTROLLED SYSTEMS

摘要

The invention provides methods and apparatus for predicting and/or modelling performance characteristics of communications networks and information technology systems. These performance characteristics are generated from three separate models of the system, namely an application environment model of the application software. An execution environment model of the network and platforms on which the software executes and also a work load model for the system derived from anticipated user behaviour. These models are then combined together in a composite model data store so as to form a composite model of system behaviour. A performance model of the system is generated from the composite model. This Performance model allows performance characteristics of the modelled communications network or information technology system to be predicted. The invention further allows the three models to be generated from the actual software tools that are used to design the system. For example, where a Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tool is used to develop the application software running on the system, the invention allows the output of the same CASE tool (400) to be used as input to generate the application model of this application software. Similarly, the output (405) of the network design tool used to design the physical and/or logical structure of the network underlying the application software may be used to generate the execution environment model of the network behaviour. System scenarios may also be generated. These System Scenarios allow different disigns of the system to be modelled. For example, the system may be modelled as if the application software had differing configurations in its distribution across the execution environment.