CD Laboratory for Monitoring and Evolution of Very-Large-Scale Software Systems

Software is central to the success of many companies, but is subject to constant change due to new requirements, technologies and market conditions. Existing software systems are a considerable investment that must be protected. Their long-term evolution is a major challenge in the industry.

However, the sheer size of the systems - often several million lines of code - is only one of the challenges. Very-large-scale software systems (VLSS) often consist of technologically different and independently developed systems. Development takes place "evolutionarily" by adapting to new requirements, often over a period of more than 20 years. In industrial plants, for example, a wide range of production steps from blast furnaces to rolling mills are controlled by software systems. In software ecosystems, various internal and external development teams jointly utilise software platforms and develop new customer solutions based on them.

Due to the complexity of the system, it is difficult to estimate the effects of changes during further developments. Business-critical requirements and features must therefore be monitored during development and operation. This laboratory aims to provide software developers with tools to facilitate the monitoring and evolution of systems. Areas of application are

- Simulation and testing: Does the system still meet customer requirements after a change?

- Impact analysis: Which parts of the system are affected by a change and need to be adapted?

- Identification of bottlenecks: Which parts of a system's software are responsible for the deviation from the desired performance?

In order to develop these tools, the scientists at the lab rely on various research methods: development of tool prototypes, case studies and empirical investigations (e.g. interviews with software architects) as well as systematic literature reviews.