Describing a Top-Down Architectural Style: the PARSE Process Graph Notation

The ASDL language represents a formal methodology for modeling the software architectural styles that are used to develop complex computer systems. In previous work, ASDL has been used to model a coarse-grain dataflow style used for large-scale signal processing applications. This style incorporates a bottom-up design methodology. In this paper, the expressiveness of ASDL is demonstrated by its use to model a architectural style for parallel and distributed systems that incorporates a top-down design methodology. The ASDL model provides a valuable basis for understanding the style and for posing questions to its developers.