Simulate Software Architectures to Validate Run-time Behavior
R2026bSimulate software architectures to validate how multiple software components interact at run-time before deployment. This workflow enables system-level validation by emulating communication between software components and their run-time environment (RTE).
Software components define communication and execution behavior using quality of service (QoS) properties, such as queued communication, execution on data arrival, and client-server function calls. By simulating, you can verify that these behaviors work as intended when components execute together.
To validate the behavior of a single software component in isolation, use an architecture test harness. For more information, see Validate Component Behaviors Using Architecture Test Harnesses.
Note
This workflow requires the Software Component Designer for Simulink® support package, which provides the authoring and simulation capabilities for software component models. For installation instructions, see Install Software Component Designer for Simulink Support Package.
Simulate a Software Architecture
Architecture simulation uses a mock run-time environment (RTE) to emulate the services and communication infrastructure that components rely on at execution time. During simulation, software components interact through their ports that have communication and execution behavior configured.
To simulate a software architecture model, on the Software Component tab, in the Simulate section, click Run .
When the simulation runs, all connected software components execute together within the mock run-time environment, interacting through their configured input, output, client, and server ports.
In each time step, the mock RTE processes each component function in three phases:
Receive data from connected input ports
Execute the component function (algorithm)
Send results to connected output ports
With this sequence, each component reads the most current data available at its inputs before executing, and its outputs are available to downstream components in subsequent steps.
Analyze and Validate Simulation Results
After the simulation completes, use standard Simulink and architecture modeling tools to analyze system behavior:
View logged signals and states using the Simulation Data Inspector.
Observe data flow and service interactions between components.
Verify execution order and timing across components.
To view logged data, on the Software Component tab, in the Review Results section, click Data Inspector.
Use architecture simulation results to validate QoS configured behaviors across the system, including:
Send-receive communication behavior, such as queued data exchange
Execution triggering, including time-based and data-triggered execution
Client-server interactions and function call behavior
For reference, these are the send-receive communication semantics the mock RTE enforces during simulation. Behavior depends on the Receiver service property configured on each data element:
'LatestValue'— The receiver always reads the most recent value sent. If the sender writes multiple values between receiver reads, intermediate values are overwritten.'Queued'— The receiver reads values in the order they were sent (FIFO). If the sender writes faster than the receiver reads, values accumulate in the queue up to the configured Queue capacity. When the queue is full, the oldest unread value is dropped to make room for new data.
Architecture simulation validates that communication and execution behavior configured on individual components produces expected results when components execute together.
