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The emerging paradigm of Web services opens a new way of Web application design and development to quickly develop and deploy Web applications by integrating independently published Web services components to conduct new business transactions. As research aiming at facilitating Web services integration and verification, WS-Net is an executable architectural description language incorporating the semantics of colored Petri-net with the style and understandability of object-oriented concepts. WS-Net describes each Web services component in three layers: interface net declares the services that the component provides to other components; interconnection net specifies the services that the component acquires to accomplish its mission; and interoperation net describes the internal operational behaviors of the component. As an architectural model that formalizes the architectural topology and behaviors of each Web services component as well as the entire system, WS-Net facilitates the verification and monitoring of Web services integration.

As a research based on technology integration, I/sup 3/ (pronounced "I cube") is an executable architectural component description language based on colored Petri-net semantics with the style and understandability of SADT. I/sup 3/ describes architectural components hierarchically in three levels. First, interface net declares services to be provided to other components. Next, interconnection net specifies the services to be acquired from other components. Finally, interoperation net describes the operational behavior of a component. Through its unique interconnection mechanism, I/sup 3/ facilitates the software architect in building an architectural model and formalizing the architectural topology and behavior of each software component as well as the entire system. Implementation of I/sup 3/ can be made CORBA-compliant.