A Survey on Multi-Formalism Performance Evaluation Tools

In this paper we present a survey on performance and reliability evaluation software packages that support more than one class of formalisms. The aim is twofold: on the application viewpoint to help practitioners to choose a suitable software solution for their needs and from the research viewpoint to clarify the state of the art of the available software packages and to discuss the possible improvements. We discuss and compare a set of significant tools that support multi-formalism modelling for system performance and reliability evaluation, by introducing some qualitative parameters in order to determine their salient characteristics. Moreover, we introduce an example to underline the importance of multiformalism modelling, and to highlight the potential and limits of the various existing tools. Finally, we discuss the suitability of the analysed software packages to different classes of users.