Optimizing Feature Interaction Detection

  • Alessandro Fantechi
  • Stefania Gnesi
  • Laura Semini
Conference paper
First Online:
Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNCS, volume 10471)

Abstract

The feature interaction problem has been recognized as a general problem of software engineering. The problem appears when a combination of features interacts generating a conflict, exhibiting a behaviour that is unexpected for the features considered in isolation, possibly resulting in some critical safety violation. Verification of absence of critical feature interactions has been the subject of several studies. In this paper, we focus on functional interactions and we address the problem of the 3-way feature interactions, i.e. interactions that occur only when three features are all included in the system, but not when only two of them are. In this setting, we define a widely applicable definition framework, within which we show that a 3 (or greater)-way interaction is always caused by a 2-way interaction, i.e. that pairwise sampling is complete, hence reducing to quadratic the complexity of automatic detection of incorrect interaction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgements

This work has been partially supported by the Tuscany Region project POR FESR 2014-2020 SISTER and the H2020 Shift2rail project ASTRail.

References

  1. 1.
    Feature Interactions: The Next Generation (Dagstuhl Seminar 14281), Dagstuhl Reports, vol. 4, n.7. pp. 1–24. Schloss Dagstuhl-Leibniz-Zentrum fuer Informatik, Dagstuhl, Germany (2014)Google Scholar
  2. 2.
    Apel, S.: The new feature interaction challenge. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh International Workshop on Variability Modelling of Software-intensive Systems, VAMOS 2017, p. 1. ACM, New York (2017)Google Scholar
  3. 3.
    Apel, S., Batory, D., Kästner, C., Saake, G.: Feature-Oriented Software Product Lines: Concepts and Implementation. Springer, Heidelberg (2013). doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-37521-7 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    Atlee, J.M., Fahrenberg, U., Legay, A.: Measuring behaviour interactions between product-line features. In: Gnesi, S., Plat, N. (eds.) 3rd IEEE/ACM FME Workshop on Formal Methods in Software Engineering, FormaliSE 2015, Florence, Italy, May 18, 2015, pp. 20–25. IEEE Computer Society (2015)Google Scholar
  5. 5.
    Back, R.-J., Kurki-Suonio, R.: Distributed cooperation with action systems. ACM Trans. Program. Lang. Syst. 10(4), 513–554 (1988)CrossRefMATHGoogle Scholar
  6. 6.
    Baldan, P., Busi, N., Corradini, A., Pinna, G.M.: Domain and event structure semantics for Petri Nets with read and inhibitor arcs. Theor. Comput. Sci. 323(1–3), 129–189 (2004)CrossRefMATHMathSciNetGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    Baldan, P., Corradini, A., Montanari, U.: Contextual Petri Nets, asymmetric event structures, and processes. Inf. Comput. 171(1), 1–49 (2001)CrossRefMATHMathSciNetGoogle Scholar
  8. 8.
    Boström, M., Engstedt, M.: Feature interaction detection and resolution in the Delphi framework. In: [13], pp. 157–172, October 1995Google Scholar
  9. 9.
    Bruns, G.: Foundations for features. In: Reiff-Marganiec, S., Ryan, M. (eds.) Feature Interactions in Telecommunications and Software Systems VIII, pp. 3–11. IOS Press, Amsterdam (2005)Google Scholar
  10. 10.
    Buhr, R.J.A., Amyot, D., Elammari, M., Quesnel, D., Gray, T., Mankovski, S.: Feature-interaction visualization and resolution in an agent environment. In: [16], pp. 135–149, September 1998Google Scholar
  11. 11.
    Calder, M., Kolberg, M., Magill, E.H., Reiff-Marganiec, S.: Feature interaction: a critical review and considered forecast. Comput. Netw. 41, 115–141 (2001)CrossRefMATHGoogle Scholar
  12. 12.
    Calder, M., Magill, E. (eds.): Feature Interactions in Telecommunications and Software Systems VI. IOS Press, Amsterdam (2000)Google Scholar
  13. 13.
    Cheng, K.E., Ohta, T. (eds.): Feature Interactions in Telecommunications Systems III. IOS Press, Amsterdam (1995)Google Scholar
  14. 14.
    Danelutto, M., Kilpatrick, P., Montangero, C., Semini, L.: Model checking support for conflict resolution in multiple non-functional concern management. In: Alexander, M., D’Ambra, P., Belloum, A., Bosilca, G., Cannataro, M., Danelutto, M., Martino, B., Gerndt, M., Jeannot, E., Namyst, R., Roman, J., Scott, S.L., Traff, J.L., Vallée, G., Weidendorfer, J. (eds.) Euro-Par 2011. LNCS, vol. 7155, pp. 128–138. Springer, Heidelberg (2012). doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-29737-3_16 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. 15.
    Dunlop, N., Indulska, J., Raymond, K.: Methods for conflict resolution in policy-based management systems. In: Enterprise Distributed Object Computing Conference, pp. 15–26. IEEE Computer Society (2002)Google Scholar
  16. 16.
    Kimbler, K., Bouma, L.G. (eds.): Feature Interactions in Telecommunications and Software Systems V. IOS Press, Amsterdam (1998)Google Scholar
  17. 17.
    Kolberg, M., Magill, E.H., Marples, D., Reiff, S.: Results of the second feature interaction contest. In: [12], pp. 311–325 (2000)Google Scholar
  18. 18.
    Kolberg, M., Magill, E.H., Marples, D., Reiff, S.: Second feature interaction contest. In: [12], pp. 293–310, May 2000Google Scholar
  19. 19.
    Li, H., Krishnamurthi, S., Fisler, K.: Verifying cross-cutting features as open systems. SIGSOFT Softw. Eng. Notes 27(6), 89–98 (2002)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. 20.
    Marijan, D., Gotlieb, A., Sen, S., Hervieu, A.: Practical pairwise testing for software product lines. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Software Product Line Conference, SPLC 2013, pp. 227–235. ACM, New York (2013)Google Scholar
  21. 21.
    Medeiros, F., Kästner, C., Ribeiro, M., Gheyi, R., Apel, S.: A comparison of 10 sampling algorithms for configurable systems. In: Proceedings of the 38th International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE 2016, pp. 643–654. ACM, New York (2016)Google Scholar
  22. 22.
    Milner, R.: Communication and Concurrency. International Series in Computer Science. Prentice Hall, New York (1989)MATHGoogle Scholar
  23. 23.
    Montangero, C., Reiff-Marganiec, S., Semini, L.: Logic-based conflict detection for distributed policies. Fundamenta Informaticae 89(4), 511–538 (2008)MATHMathSciNetGoogle Scholar
  24. 24.
    Montangero, C., Semini, L.: Detection and resolution of feature interactions, the early light way. Int. J. Adv. Syst. Measurements 8(34), 210–220 (2015)Google Scholar
  25. 25.
    Nhlabatsi, A., Laney, R., Nuseibeh, B.: Feature interaction: the security threat from within software systems. Prog. Inform. 5, 75–89 (2008)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. 26.
    Oster, S., Markert, F., Ritter, P.: Automated incremental pairwise testing of software product lines. In: Bosch, J., Lee, J. (eds.) SPLC 2010. LNCS, vol. 6287, pp. 196–210. Springer, Heidelberg (2010). doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-15579-6_14 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. 27.
    Reiff-Marganiec, S., Turner, K.J.: Feature interaction in policies. Comput. Networks 45(5), 569–584 (2004)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. 28.
    Schaefer, I., Bettini, L., Bono, V., Damiani, F., Tanzarella, N.: Delta-oriented programming of software product lines. In: Bosch, J., Lee, J. (eds.) SPLC 2010. LNCS, vol. 6287, pp. 77–91. Springer, Heidelberg (2010). doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-15579-6_6 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. 29.
    Shaker, P., Atlee, J.M.: Behaviour interactions among product-line features. In: Gnesi, S., Fantechi, A., Heymans, P., Rubin, J., Czarnecki, K., Dhungana, D. (eds.) 18th International Software Product Line Conference, SPLC 2014, Florence, Italy, September 15–19, 2014, pp. 242–246. ACM (2014)Google Scholar
  30. 30.
    Turner, K.J., Reiff-Marganiec, S., Blair, L., Pang, J., Gray, T., Perry, P., Ireland, J.: Policy support for call control. Comput. Stand. Inter. 28(6), 635–649 (2006)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. 31.
    Various Editors. Series of International Conferences on Feature Interactions in Software and Communication Systems (ICFI). IOS Press (1994–2009)Google Scholar
  32. 32.
    Zave, P.: An experiment in feature engineering. In: Morgan, C., McIver, A. (eds.) Programming Methodology, pp. 353–377. Springer, New York (2003). doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-21798-7_17 CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Alessandro Fantechi
    • 1
    • 2
  • Stefania Gnesi
    • 2
  • Laura Semini
    • 2
    • 3
  1. 1.Dip. di Ing. Dell’InformazioneUniversità di FirenzeFirenzeItaly
  2. 2.ISTI-CNRPisaItaly
  3. 3.Dipartimento di InformaticaUniversità di PisaPisaItaly

Personalised recommendations