On the specification and implementation of distributed systems using NMDS and LIPS

This paper describes a graphical notation called NMDS and an implementation language called LIPS for producing distributed systems. NMDS is a set of notations based on Role Activity Diagrams with features for expressing concurrency, dataflow and communication and it lends itself to elicitation and verification while expressing concurrency unambiguously in a concise manner. It also fits in with the syntax and semantics of LIPS. LIPS is a distributed message passing language that promotes the separation of communication from computation by using the concept of guarded processes. One of the major advantages of using NMDS with LIPS is that reverse engineering of LIPS programs can easily be achieved.