Refinement of AADL models using early-stage analysis methods

Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) is a relevant approach to support the engineering of distributed embedded systems with performance and dependability constraints. MDE involves models definitions and transformations to cover most of the system life-cycle: design, implementation and Verification & Validation activities towards system qualification. Still, few works evaluate the early integration of performance evaluation based on architectural models. In this paper, we investigate the early-stage use of analysis in AADL modeling. Precisely, we exemplify on an avionics case study how to dimension the data flows for an application distributed over an AFDX network. Based on the insight from this study, we suggest a simple framework and associated techniques to efficiently support analysis activities in the early-stage design phases.