What is MXAM?

What's New?

► Read about all new features in the release notes

Highlights in latest versions of MES Model Examiner^® (MXAM) v.9.1

Automatic Validation of the Model Before Analysis
In order to make sure that your model and setup is ready for a static analysis, MXAM now automatically pre-validates the Simulink^® model.

Integrated Support for Model Variants
MXAM further supports the use of Variant blocks. The scope of the analysis can be configured by a global parameter to include either only active variants or all variants. This parameter is applied to all checks.

Extended Support for Assisted and Automated Safe Repair of Selected Findings

Additional Checks for MAB 5.0 Guidelines

Improved Support for the AUTOSAR Use-Case

Installation

Manual Installation

• Installer: Install MXAM by executing the setup file (.exe) and follow the setup instructions.
  • The startup of the installation process might take a while depending on the security settings of the client machine.
  • Installation to a write-protected directory: Right click the setup file and execute as administrator.
• Zip archive: Unzip the archive into any directory

Automatic Headless Installation

• Run the MXAM installation once on a machine and save your automatic installation data in the Finish Panel to auto-install.xml.
  With this data, you will be able to run the same installation on another similar machine.
• Configure the auto-install.xml
• Run the automatic installation: >>[installer-name].exe [ABSOLUTE-PATH/auto-install.xml]

Update to the Latest Version

• If you added MXAM folders permanently to the MATLAB path, please remove all of these folders from the path.
• If you installed the old version in a folder with a version postfix (e.g. x:\project\matlab\mxam_x_x), you can keep that directory as a backup.
• If you installed without a version postfix, you could rename the old installation directory to one with a version postfix as a backup.

Update from MXAM 1 to a Current Version of MXAM

A migration kit to migrate customer-specific checksets and checks is available upon request.
Please contact sales@model-engineers.com.

System Requirements

The following system requirements must be in place to use MXAM:

• Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 (64-bit versions), Windows 11, or
• Linux (64-bit versions), tested with Ubuntu 20.04.1 Desktop.
• Java 8 to 15 needs to be installed on your system (the tested version to work with MXAM is AdoptOpenJDK 8).
• System requirements when using MXAM with MATLAB^®/Simulink^®/Stateflow^®: MATLAB^® version see table below
  • System requirements when additionally using TargetLink^®: TargetLink^® (base suite) version see table below
• System requirements when using MXAM with ASCET: ASCET 6.1 to 6.4.6
• System requirements when using MXAM with EXCEL: Excel 2003 and higher

Compatibility of each MXAM release with MATLAB and TargetLink releases

Quick Start

Starting MXAM

• For MATLAB platform: Open MATLAB, navigate to the MXAM installation directory, and execute >>mxam
• For other platforms: Start MXAM using the program shortcut or go to the MXAM installation directory and execute mxam.exe

Starting an Analysis

For MATLAB platform:

• Open a model in MATLAB
• Press "Analyze" in MXAM
• Select the model in the artifact dialog
• Press "Finish"

For ASCET:

• Press "Analyze" in MXAM
• Press "Open ASCET" in the artifact dialog if it is not yet open
• Press "Refresh" to fetch models from the database
• Press "Finish"

For Others:

• In the Project perspective, press "Add..." in the Artifact Section to add an artifact
• Select the artifact and press "Finish"
• Press "Analyze"

Guidelines

• Go to the "Project Guidelines" perspective to see which guidelines will be checked during the analysis.
• To see the pool of all available guidelines, go to the "Library Browser" perspective and select the "Guidelines" view.

Suggestions

If you have any suggestions to help us improve the MES Model Examiner^®, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Email: mxam@model-engineers.com

Release Notes - MXAM v.9.1 (April 2023)

Tool Framework

Pre-check Before Analysis

• A new model pre-check is executed before analysis to ensure that the analysis is performed on the basis of valid data. This includes putting the model into compile mode. If the model fails the pre-check, validation markers will be generated for the report to mark detected errors.

New Repair Finding MATLAB API

• The new repair finding functionality from MXAM 9.0.0 can now be used in MATLAB with mxamapi_repairOpenReport.m. This starts repairing all non-interactive and repairable findings from the last opened report in MXAM.

Improvements

• Added option to anonymize paths in the exported reports.
• Filter settings in library browser are now persisted.
• Improved handling of a changed license configuration for MXAM in MATLAB. This no longer requires a MATLAB restart to become effective. (#8519)
• If unmapped annotations are detected, new validation markers are now generated.
• Added information regarding the installed edition to several places in MXAM, i.e. to information in gui, to mxam.exe property info, and to the log file.
• Annotations in deprecated format are now highlighted in the annotation view.

Bug fixes

• Fixed a bug with certain findings being fixable although the corresponding check has its repair option set to false. (#10794)
• Fixed a bug that could occur while editing an ignore list. In very rare cases, edited values could get lost. (#10661)
• Fixed license error if license file or license server is not configured. (#10791)

Guidelines, Checks, and Documents

Extended the Assisted and Automated Safe Repair of Findings

• New repair functionality has been added to checks for the following topics:
• Code Generation Options: mcheck_mes_cgtl_9002, mcheck_mes_cgtl_9003, mcheck_mes_cgtl_9004 (#10768)
• Stateflow Layout: mcheck_jc_0731, mcheck_jc_0752 (#10514, #10508)
• Multiport Switch Block: mcheck_mes_sk_005, mcheck_mes_sk_004 (#10767)
• Further topics: mcheck_misra_tl_1_2_b, mcheck_misra_tl_5_10, mcheck_mes_sk_009 (#10767)

Ensure Readiness of Model and Setup for Static Analysis with MXAM

• Automatic pre-validation of the analyzed Simulink (R) model is now integrated. This prevalidation includes checking
  • the model’s compilability,
  • MiL mode setting,
  • that the corresponding TL Data Dictionary is open,
  • if all references (libraries, referenced models) are resolved.

Integrated Support for Model Variants

• The scope of the analysis can be configured by a global parameter ‘Variants’ to include either only active variants or all variants. This parameter is applied to all checks and replaces the parameter ‘Global.FilterConfigurableSubsystems’. (#10723)
• If the old parameter ‘Global.Filter.ConfigurableSubsystems’ is not set to default in a project, the parameter is not used by MXAM anymore and should be removed. (compatibility considerations)

New checks Available Covering MAB Guidelines (5.0)

• Verify that the block parameter ‘Sample Time’ is set to ‘-1’ with guideline jc_0641. (#10442)
• Ensure the correct usage of continuous-time and discrete-time Delay blocks in continuous and discrete models with guideline jc_0623. (#10478)

New MES-MATLAB Checks for Signal Naming Requirements

• We have added new checks for signal naming requirements from MISRA AC SLSF and MES Functional Safety Modeling Guidelines standards.
• New version (v02) of the MISRA AC SLSF guideline document containing the new guideline misra_slsf_027_abcdfghi merging the respective part from the original document.
• Re-organization of MISRA SLSF 027 guidelines for better usability.
• Verify that specified signals are named at the source with check mcheck_mes_slsf_1102 and guidelines misra_slsf_027_abcdfghi, sdt_sc005, and sdt_sc006.
• Ensure that the property ‘SignalPropagation’ (if available) is set to ‘on’ with check mcheck_mes_slsf_1104 and guidelines misra_slsf_027_abcdfghi, sdt_sc005, and sdt_sc006.
• Prohibit re-naming of a signal and naming of a signal not at the source with check mes_slsf_1103 and guidelines sdt_sc005 and sdt_sc006.

Improvements

• mcheck_jc_0795: The check now supports repair of Stateflow.Data objects with identification feature ‘SID’ or ‘SID&Path’ due to the corrected SID computation. (#10599)
• mcheck_slsf_031_a and mcheck_db_0141: The respective check parameter ‘.AllowedBlocksInLoops’ is now considered in case a subsystem is used in a feedback loop. Additionally, check messaging for prohibited blocks in feedback loops was refined. (#10770)
• mcheck_sdt_sc008: The check parameter ‘MES.sdt_sc008.blocksToCheck’ was enhanced so that inputs and outputs of blocks can be specified to be checked for implicit data type conversion. (#10737)
• The ISO 25119 references in the guidelines were updated to the ISO 25119:2018 version of the standard. (#10752)

Changes

• mes_misra_tl_5_10: Extra handling of code-files has been removed, as it is not required by the guideline. (#10767).

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where mcheck_mes_sk_006 reported invalid failed findings on Simulink Inports and Outports used in TargetLink subsystems of AUTOSAR models. (#10758)
• Fixed an issue where the signal tracing could not resolve TL_SWCSenderPort and TL_SWCReceiverPort blocks in some circumstances. (#10882)
• Improved the detection of bus signals for check mcheck_misra_slsf_036_a. (#10857)
• Improved handling of Simulink.Bus and overall bus support in misra_slsf_013_b. (#10842)
• Fixed mcheck_ds_0029 such that it can trace bus signals to its source. (#10639)
• Signals can now be traced through enable and trigger ports with output signals. (#10870)
• Fixed an issue in various checks where Sqrt blocks were not correctly identified (mcheck_ds_0019 ,mcheck_ds_0020, mcheck_ds_0022, mcheck_ds_0024, mcheck_ds_0026, mcheck_ds_0028, mcheck_ds_0034, mcheck_ds_0035, mcheck_ds_0036, mcheck_ds_0039, mcheck_ds_0041, mcheck_ds_0050, mcheck_ds_0051, mcheck_ds_0052). (#10818)
• Fixed mcheck_jc_0794 such that it identifies Reciprocal blocks for potential Division by Zero occurrences. (#10684)
• Fixed an issue where a subsystem with only one block was leading to abort for check misra_tl_1_2_b. (#10898)
• Fixed an issue where Stateflow related checks would abort in certain situations, when using MATLAB R2022a or later. (#10884)
• misra_slsf_012_a, jc_0141, misra_tl_5_8: The check could not repair findings on TL Switch blocks. (#10793)
• The check mcheck_misra_slsf_007_a will no longer check the initial condition of virtual outports in conditionally executed subsystems. (#10921)
• Fixed an issue where the check mcheck_misra_tl_7_1 could abort if multiple TL_MainDialogs were present in the model. (#10936)

Tool Framework

Bug Fixes

• Enabled SID computation for Stateflow objects without .Chart property (Stateflow.Data, Stateflow.EMFunction, …) to support finding repair and annotation mapping. (#10599)