A new approach for component's port modeling in software architecture

Nowadays, Modeling of component's port is typically based on interfaces, which heavily constrain the definition of an application's architecture. This is mainly due, to the fact that, software architecture imported only the general concepts of its fundamental elements from related fields such as computer and network architecture, and did not show interests on how these concepts are organized and used in these fields in the process of defining miscellaneous architecture. To limit the interface constrains we have defined a port model, inspired from these related fields where the activity of defining architecture has reached a high degree of maturity. The port model is completely independent from interface concept. It allows the free manipulation of its internal structure and the specification of various controls over port and component. With these capabilities, the port model opens a new way, not supported by nowadays software architecture tools, to specify any topology an architect can imagine. In addition, the port represents one of the fundamentals elements supporting the aspect orientation of our approach to software architecture. The aspect orientation is supported through aspect ports, representing aspect's join point, which must be connected to specific aspect components.