SYNTHESIS OF COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL CONVERTERS - SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT

The interoperability between heterogeneous, distributed computer netwo rks requires the use of protocol converters. The need for constructing reliable and efficient communication protocol converters is caused by the proliferation of such networks. An efficient level of interoperab ility will guarantee a wider access to value-added services and applic ations in today's information technology. Over a decade of intensive r esearch and development has contributed greatly to the field of protoc ol conversion. Various formal methods were introduced to derive a conv erter in a systematic manner. In this article, we survey and assess th e research published on formal methods for deriving protocol converter s over the past decade. We also provide some directions for future wor k in this area. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.