| The goal of this research is to develop an object-oriented approach for applying reuse. This approach improves specification quality (e.g., accuracy) and speed, and saves on cost. It assists protocol developers in maximizing their specification efforts by using existing specifications whenever possible.;Rapid evolution (in the operating environment of communication protocols), such as the adaptation of high-speed fiber, and proposed protocol services, is increasing the complexity of protocol specification. Reuse provides opportunities to maximize specification quality and save on cost.;Adequate strategies are introduced to evaluate and select reuse opportunities, to overcome challenges, and to maximize payoff. Therefore, a consistent, systematic approach is developed for identifying, streamlining, and incorporating reused objects, when specifying communication protocols. This approach consists of the necessary tools, object repository and specification technique, to apply reuse to communication protocol specifications.;To achieve these objectives, reuse must be incorporated explicitly, and early, in the software life-cycle. This tends to reduce development cost by increasing the utilization of solutions to the identified problems. Furthermore, reuse combines the specific skills and expertise of developers to produce a competitive product consisting of objects that can run and operate independently. Such a product may be built from new or borrowed objects, depending on the quality of expertise available, whether internal or external. |
