View DNDAF:SV-10b Systems State Transition Description Subview

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Title

SV-10b Systems State Transition Description Subview

Version & Date

1.6 See DNDAF Release History

Introduction

The SV-10b subview is part of the DNDAF System View.

The System View-10b (SV-10b): Systems State Transition Description relates events to system states and describes the transition from one state to another.

Purpose

The explicit transitions between system functions in response to external and internal events are not expressed in SV-4. SV-10b should be used to describe the explicit transition between the system functions. Alternatively, SV-10b can be used to reflect explicit transitions of the actions internal to a single system function, or the transitions between system functions with respect to a specific system.

State chart diagrams can be unambiguously converted to structured textual rules that specify behavioural aspects of systems events and the responses to these events, with no loss of meaning. However, the graphical form of the state diagrams can often allow quick analysis of the completeness of the rule set, and detection of dead ends or missing conditions. These errors, if not detected early during the systems analysis phase, can often lead to serious behavioural errors in fielded systems, or to expensive correction efforts.

Background

The SV-10b represents state transitions from a systems perspective, with a focus on how the system responds to stimuli (e.g. triggers and events). As in the Operational State Transition Description (OV-6b), these responses may differ depending upon the rule set or conditions that apply as well as the system’s state at the time the stimuli is received. The results performed at system nodes and associated state transitions are derived from your Systems Functionality Description (SV-4) product. Depending upon the architecture project’s needs, the SV-10b may be used separately or in conjunction with the Systems Event/Trace Description (SV-10c).

Description

Definition

The Systems State Transition Description is a graphical method of describing the response to various events that change the state of the system. The resulting state chart diagram basically represents the sets of events to which the systems in the architecture will respond in relation to its current state. Each transition specifies an event and an action.

Detailed Description

The SV-10b is based on the state chart diagram. The SV-10b relates states, events, and actions. A state and its associated action(s) specify the response of a system or system function, to events. When an event occurs, the next state may vary depending on the current state (and its associated action), the event, and the rule set or guard conditions. A change of state is called a transition. Each transition specifies the response based on a specific event and the current state. Actions may be associated with a given state or with the transition between states.

The SV-10b can be used to describe the detailed sequencing of system functions described in SV-4. However, the relationship between the actions included in SV-10b and the system functions in SV-4 depends on the purposes of the architecture and the level of abstraction used in the models.

Subview DADM Elements

The DADM entities and attributes provided below are the elements that this sub-view is responsible for creating:

 

 

Presentation

  • UML state diagram

Examples

See:

  • p135 Figure 3.25.1 in DND/CF Architecture Framework (DNDAF)  Volume 2: DND/CF Views and Sub-Views

Prerequisites

The SV-10a is the prerequisite for this sub-view:

  • SV-10a.Systems State Transition uses the Systems Rules Model.

Note: SV-10a, 10b and 10c represent the dynamic aspect and behaviour of the system. They are closely related and whenever applicable these sub-views are modeled together.

 

See DNDAF Subview Dependencies

 

Comments

Other Frameworks

See also:

References


Category:Framework -> Specification
Category:Framework -> Subview

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