Jean-Philippe GROS : "Contributions to the validation of adaptive components"

Abstract : Adaptive systems can reconfigure themselves according to adaptation policies which are seen as artefacts that describe desirable system behaviours without imposing them. An adaptation policy is conceived as a set of rules that indicate, for a given set of configurations, which reconfiguration operations can be triggered, prioritised with fuzzy values representing their respective utility. The adaptation policy must be faithfully implemented by the system and especially with respect to the rules' priorities. We propose an original approach to validate adaptive component-based systems, based on black box testing, and aiming to ensure the respect of an adaptation policy by the system. To do so, we present our approach which aims at generating large test suites in order to measure the occurrences of reconfigurations and to compare them to their utility values specified in the adaptation rules. First, we present the automated generation of initial states, in order to produce structured configurations from which an adaptive system starts and which aim at provoking significant reconfigurations. Secondly, we present an online test generator based on a system usage model used to stimulate the system and cause reconfigurations. As the system can reconfigure itself dynamically, this online test generator observes the responses and evolution of the system in order to decide on the next appropriate test step to perform. Coverage measures of the adaptation policy and system properties are established to ensure that all relevant system states are covered. Finally, the relative frequencies of reconfigurations are measured to determine whether the adaptation policy is being implemented accurately. The experiments are conducted in the case of a platoon of autonomous vehicles.

Jury Composition :

Mme Olga KOUCHNARENKO, Professeur des universités  Université Bourgogne Franche- Comté, PhD Director
M. Frédéric DADEAU Maître de conférences Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, PhD Co-Director
M. Antoine ROLLET Maître de conférences Université de Bordeaux, Reporter
M. Christian ATTIOGBE Professeur des universités Université de Nantes, Reporter
M. Jean-François WEBER Docteur Criteo SA, Reviewer
M. Pierre-Cyrille HEAM Professeur des universités, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comt, Reviewer

Localization : Salles des actes - UFR Sciences et Techniques - 16, Route de Gray - 25030 Besançon