Genetic Synthesis of Software Architecture

Abstract

This thesis experiments with a novel approach to applying genetic algorithms in software architecture design by giving the structure of an architecture at a highly abstract level. Previously in the literature, genetic algorithms are used only to improve existing architectures. The structure and evaluation of software architectures and the principles of meta-heuristic search algorithms are introduced to give a basis to understand the implementation. Current research in the field of search-based software engineering is explored to give a perspective to the implementation presented in this thesis. The chosen genetic construction of software architectures is based on a model which contains information of a set of responsibilities and dependencies between them. An implementation using this model is presented, as well as test results achieved from a case study made on a sketch of an electronic home control system. The test results show that quality results can be achieved using the selected approach and that the presented implementation is a good starting point for future research.

Key words and terms: search-based software engineering, genetic algorithms, software architecture, software design