Designing variability models for software, operating systems and their families

The complexity of existing Legacy systems and the difficulty of amending it led to the development of the new concept of variability of systems specified by a model of the characteristics of FM (Feature Model). In the paper, we discuss the approaches to formal definition of FM and creating on its basis variants of program systems (PS), operating systems (OS) and families of program systems (FPS) for PS and OS. We give methods of manufacturing of PS in the Product Family/Product Lines, the conveyor of K.Czarnecki for assembling of artifacts in the space of problems and solutions, logical-mathematical modeling of PS from the functional and interface objects by Object-Components Method (OCM), extraction of the functional elements from OS kernel to FM for the generation of new variants of the OS. We discuss approaches for formalization of variability of legacy and new PS and their FPS. The new concept of management of variability systems with help OCM is defined. The approach to verify models of the FM, PS, FPS and OS and to configuration of functional and interface objects for obtaining the variants of the resulting product are proposed. We elaborate the characteristics for the testing process of variants of the PS, OS and FPS.