Secure Software Education: A Contextual Model-Based Approach

Generic System Model

The practice of systems engineering has produced a number of technical, organizational and process-based approaches to the solution of large-scale, socio-technical engineering and process problems. One of the key aspects associated with systems engineering is the development of system context models and system functional models. The Generic System Model (GSM) is based on the fundamental idea of a system boundary that distinguishes a boundary between inside the system and outside the system. The system context exists outside of the system boundary; the system concept is used to organize the internal system content. The system boundary is composed of an outward-looking portion called the boundary context, and an inward-looking portion called the boundary concept that captures the controlling system values, rule sets, and structural view. As depicted in Figure 1, a specific system is composed of system functions, requirements, architecture and tests (Simpson, 2004).

Figure 1.

Generic System Model (Adapted from Figure 5, Simpson, 2004)