What is Aspects

This chapter describes our approach to handle security in a complex Distributed Virtual Environment (DVE). The modules of such an environment all need to be concerned about security. An object-oriented model of a DVE allows us to capture security in an aspect-oriented fashion as a crosscutting concern among the multiple modules. As DVEs become more complex in content, distribution, and capabilities, the security requirement emerges as a key issue in their design and implementation. In order to control the software complexity, our strategy is to model and analyze the impact of security concerns on the functional model of DVEs via an aspect-oriented technique. This approach is appropriate to be applied at both the system design and modeling stages and provides guidance during the implementation stage. This chapter illustrates an aspect-oriented approach to the impact analysis of security concerns upon the functionalities of DVEs. A design-level security model for DVEs is provided to show how to weave security concerns into the models of DVE designs seamlessly.