Towards a modular methodology for designing software in telecommunication network planning
In the field of telecommunication networks considered as basic infrastructure of distributed system architectures, the size and complexity of the software environments to be developed impose the decomposition of problems to be solved into subproblems, up to reaching the most easily controllable units. Nevertheless, provided that both from theoretical and practical standpoints the criteria of decomposition used in software engineering differ from one design method to another, the problem of selecting the best method takes on strategic importance. However, the intrinsic nature of problems arising in planning as well as in operating telecommunication networks is such that there does not exist one solving/development methodology which is absolutely better, but rather some methods are more or less suited to different solving contexts. Such an observation naturally leads to the prohibition in this field of the use of any rigid and exclusive development approach, in order to take advantage of the most adaptable and open methodology, based on an integration of approaches and described as modular. This paper exposes the basic principle of this modular methodology, and presents a case study in the specific context of topological design of distributed computer networks. As a result, some research issues and challenges related to software development in telecommunication network planning are pointed out, challenges which concern the entire domain of software engineering.
modular methodology telecommunications network planning software engineering computer networks design tool