»   System Description Language

The SDL (System Description Language) is used by the project to describe the target system to be configured and managed by framework tools. The SDL language is developed to describe networked systems and applications with the needed degree of detail.

SDL is a user-friendly language, based on XML. The language structure is defined in the SDL schema. The definition of the language itself and instructions on how to use the schema checker can be found in The POSITIF SDL User Manual. The SDL schema can be loaded and used to validate system descriptions in any avaliable validator, i.e. Xerces2. The manual also describes how to use the translator towards the internal Positif format that is based on CIM.

SDL is used to describe the networked system factors:

• the topology of the system - physical (nodes and cables) and logical (i.e. created by a VLAN)
• the network configuration and black-box functionality of each node
• the security functionality of each node (i.e. packet filtering, OS controls, or application-level access controls).

Download documents and tools:

• SDL Schema (current version)
• SDL User's Manual
• SDL Programmer's Manual
• SDL check (used to validate SDL documents with Xerces2)
• SDL2CIM (used to translate SDL to CIM with Saxon 8)

 »   SDL usage example

To learn how the SDL is used to describe network systems in Positif framework see the example below.

Figure 1 presents a part of an exemplary network (PWR server farm, a part of the PWR Positif testbed). The network is described in one complete SDL file, containing specifications of all its elements. The SDL file of a network element contains all reference definitions (i.e. protocols) which are naturally unified in the complete network description. This is done in order to enable the SDL to CIM translation for each element.

The SDL definition of the network is translated into the Positif SDL-CIM format. The translation is performed using the Saxon 8 tool with specific configuration files loaded. All specific files needed to perform the translation are available here.

To see SDL and SDL-CIM descriptions of the network element click the corresponding links. You can also download all example files.