The presented design framework stems from verifiable formal specifications as a launching paradigm, from Internet-based distributed HW/SW components with multicast as an architectural paradigm, and from reusability paradigm supporting all phases of the design process ranging from specification to implementation and testing. This paper presents concepts of a specification-driven design framework aiming at IEEE 1451-based embedded distributed systems that consist of smart components connected to Internet. It deals with an integrated networking framework stemming from the IEEE 1451.1 object-based networking model, complemented by the Internet Protocol (IP) multicast that mediates efficient and unified access from Internet to distributed components. The kernel of the paper deals with tools and techniques aiming to prop specification and design life cycle phases of applications under development.