Tracking software components

Component engineering is gaining substantial interest within the software engineering community. A great deal of research has been devoted to analysis and design methods for component-based software. However, only a few articles addressed the testing and maintenance problems of component-based software. This article discusses component traceability and maintenance issues and solutions in supporting software components of component-based software. The authors propose a Java framework, as well as a systematic approach to support tracking and monitoring of software components in component-based programs. Application examples and the supporting system are described. In addition, the concept of traceable components, including requirements, design guidelines, and architecture style, is introduced. The results are useful for adding systematic component tracking features to the current Java and EJB (Enterprise JavaBean) technology to support software components, including third-party components, in software maintenance.