Formalization of distributed systems with semantic Interoperability

Abstract

Distributed software systems have been designed, studied, and implemented for decades, yet problems with their development, deployment, and maintenance persist even today. Attempts at formalizing the crucial concepts of distributed systems often lead nowhere or fail outright, as is demonstrated in this article. A hypothesis is then proposed: using mathematical models dealing with semantics of interoperability of systems it is possible to develop a better understanding of distributed computing using not the objects within the system, but the relations between these objects. The article describes a use case for applying semantic analysis to solve persisting problems with industrial systems.Viable solutions to these problems are then suggested, borrowed from well-formalized mathematical theories, such as domain theory and category theory. The article attempts to partially answer the questions it poses using “semantic interoperability” – the property of a notation to have different formal definitions of the same concept be fully interchangeable in the context of a unifying formal description.