Requirements model driven adaption and evolution of Internetware

Today’s software systems need to support complex business operations and processes.The development of the web-based software systems has been pushing up the limits of traditional software engineering methodologies and technologies as they are required to be used and updated almost real-time,so that users can interact and share the same applications over the internet as needed.These applications have to adapt quickly to the diversified and dynamic changing requirements in the physical,technological,economical and social environments.As a consequence,we are expecting a major paradigm shift in software engineering to reflect such changes in computing environment in order to better address the fundamental needs of organisations in this new era.Existing software technologies,such as model driven development,business process engineering,online(re-)configuration,composition and adaptation of managerial functionalities are being repurposed to reduce the time taken for software development by reusing software codes.The ability to dynamically combine contents from numerous web sites and local resources,and the ability to instantly publish services worldwide have opened up entirely new possibilities for software development.In retrospect to the ten years applied research on Internetware,we have witnessed such a paradigm shift,which brings about many changes to the developmental experience of conventional web applications.Several related technologies,such as cloud computing,service computing,cyber-physical systems and social computing,have converged to address this emerging issue with emphasis on different aspects.In this paper,we first outline the requirements that the Internetware software paradigm should meet to excel at web application adaptation;we then propose a requirement model driven method for adaptive and evolutionary applications;and we report our experiences and case studies of applying it to an enterprise information system.Our goal is to provide high-level guidelines to researchers and practitioners to meet the challenges of building adaptive industrial-strength applications with the spectrum of processes,techniques and facilities provided within the Internetware paradigm.     

Industrial Design and Development Software System Architecture Based on Model-Based Systems Engineering and Cloud Computing

Oriented to the new generation of cyber-physical manufacturing, this paper introduces two breakthroughs of industrial design and development software system: model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and cloud computing. Based on the classic V model for product development, an MBSE double-Vs model is refined which takes both model life-cycle and product life-cycle into consideration for design process re-engineering. Then cloud computing and its re-structuring on traditional industrial software system are discussed. Shift from classic single approach, this research proposes an industrial design and development software system architecture based on model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and cloud computing. The new architecture is shown in a stereoscopic way which amply utilizes the respective advantages of MBSE and cloud computing. At the end of the paper, as an example of actual cases, a flight management system (FMS) design and development platform is detailed to verify the effectiveness of this new architecture. The implement of new system architecture creates an efficient collaborative mechanism for FMS developing.     

Designing service-based applications in the presence of non-functional properties: A mapping study

ContextThe development of distributed software systems has become an important problem for the software engineering community. Service-based applications are a common solution for this kind of systems. Services provide a uniform mechanism for discovering, integrating and using these resources. In the development of service based applications not only the functionality of services and compositions should be considered, but also conditions in which the system operates. These conditions are called non-functional requirements (NFR). The conformance of applications to NFR is crucial to deliver software that meets the expectations of its users.ObjectiveThis paper presents the results of a systematic mapping carried out to analyze how NFR have been addressed in the development of service-based applications in the last years, according to different points of view.MethodOur analysis applies the systematic mapping approach. It focuses on the analysis of publications organized by categories called facets, which are combined to answer specific research questions. The facets compose a classification schema which is part of the contribution and results.ResultsThis paper presents our findings on how NFR have been supported in the development of service-based applications by proposing a classification scheme consisting in five facets: (i) programming paradigm (object/service oriented); (ii) contribution (methodology, system, middleware); (iii) software process phase; (iv) technique or mathematical model used for expressing NFR; and (v) the types of NFR addressed by the papers, based on the classification proposed by the ISO/IEC 9126 specification. The results of our systematic mapping are presented as bubble charts that provide a quantitative analysis to show the frequencies of publications for each facet. The paper also proposes a qualitative analysis based on these plots. This analysis discusses how NFR (quality properties) have been addressed in the design and development of service-based applications, including methodologies, languages and tools devised to support different phases of the software process.ConclusionThis systematic mapping showed that NFR are not fully considered in all software engineering phases for building service based applications. The study also let us conclude that work has been done for providing models and languages for expressing NFR and associated middleware for enforcing them at run time. An important finding is that NFR are not fully considered along all software engineering phases and this opens room for proposing methodologies that fully model NFR. The data collected by our work and used for this systematic mapping are available in https://github.com/placidoneto/systematic-mapping_service-based-app_nfr.     

Specification, decomposition and agent synthesis for situation-aware service-based systems

Service-based systems are distributed computing systems with the major advantage of enabling rapid composition of distributed applications, such as collaborative research and development, e-business, health care, military applications and homeland security, regardless of the programming languages and platforms used in developing and running various components of the applications. In dynamic service-oriented computing environment, situation awareness (SAW) is needed for system monitoring, adaptive service coordination and flexible security policy enforcement. To greatly reduce the development effort of SAW capability in service-based systems and effectively support runtime system adaptation, it is necessary to automate the development of reusable and autonomous software components, called SAW agents, for situation-aware service-based systems. In this paper, a logic-based approach to declaratively specifying SAW requirements, decomposing SAW specifications for efficient distributed situation analysis, and automated synthesis of SAW agents is presented. This approach is based on AS³ calculus and logic, and our declarative model for SAW. Evaluation results of our approach are also presented.     

Model-based reasoning: a principled approach for software engineering

The software engineering industry suffers from almost unmanageable complexity both in the products it produces and in the processes of production. One of the current shortcomings in the software production process is the weakness of the models used. This paper makes observations on the role of knowledge in engineering and examines the central role of models and simulation. We develop an argument for the application of certain new forms of modelling methods in software engineering in order to impose more discipline and give a principled framework for building models that can support the software life-cycle. The concept of a model is examined in depth and different characteristics and types of model are defined. This introduces the relatively new concept of qualitative models and their use in the field known as model-based reasoning. Unlike previous knowledge-based methods, model-based reasoning has several important advantages. Although very few model-based software projects exist, we illustrate how this approach can be developed by drawing on applications from traditional engineering. It is argued that, because qualitative modelling offers great power for addressing the issue of complexity, such models have considerable potential as high-level abstractions of software products. These could form the core of tools for the management and support of the software development process through the whole product life-cycle.     

The SDL pattern approach – a reuse-driven SDL design methodology

There are several SDL methodologies that offer full system life-cycle support. Only few of them consider software reuse, not to mention high-level reuse of architecture and design. However, software reuse is a proven software engineering paradigm leading to high quality and reduced development effort. Experience made it apparent that – beyond the more traditional reuse of code – especially high-level reuse of architecture and design (as in the case of design patterns or frameworks) has the potential of achieving more systematic and widespread reuse. This paper presents the SDL pattern approach, a design methodology for distributed systems which integrates SDL-based system development with the pattern paradigm. It supports reuse of design knowledge modeled as SDL patterns and concentrates on the design phase of SDL-based system development. In order to get full life-cycle support, the pattern-based design process can be integrated within existing SDL methodologies.     

Challenges and Research Directions in Agent-Oriented Software Engineering

Agent-based computing is a promising approach for developing applications in complex domains. However, despite the great deal of research in the area, a number of challenges still need to be faced (i) to make agent-based computing a widely accepted paradigm in software engineering practice, and (ii) to turn agent-oriented software abstractions into practical tools for facing the complexity of modern application areas. In this paper, after a short introduction to the key concepts of agent-based computing (as they pertain to software engineering), we characterise the emerging key issues in multiagent systems (MASs) engineering. In particular, we show that such issues can be analysed in terms of three different scales of observation, i.e., in analogy with the scales of observation of physical phenomena, in terms of micro, macro, and meso scales. Based on this characterisation, we discuss, for each scale of observation, what are the peculiar engineering issues arising, the key research challenges to be solved, and the most promising research directions to be explored in the future.     

基于Web服务的网格体系结构及其支撑环境研究

网格技术是当前网络计算的前沿领域,基于Web服务技术构建网格系统有助于提高网格系统的可扩展性和互操作能力,是这一领域中的最新热点.但现有的工作尚未明确界定基于Web服务的网格的功能模型和实现机制.首先讨论了网格功能模型,基于OGSA(open grid service architecture)框架提出了基于Web服务的网格层次体系结构,并将Web服务工作流引入到网格任务描述中,给出一种Web服务与网格技术相融合的机制,介绍了基于Web服务的网格支撑环境WebSASE4G的总体结构和设计原理,为基于Web     

基于服务的移动用户界面软件架构研究*

为了解决传统的用户界面软件架构在移动应用中的种种缺陷,提出了一种基于服务的移动用户界面软件架构IMA(interface-manager-application),使移动设备受益于面向服务范型。IMA通过提供简单且个性化的服务版本使后台服务适应移动能力,从而集成化地解决了移动设备的资源受限性、间歇性连接和个性化问题。通过AndroidIDB的原型开发验证了该架构的可行性和有效性。     

Process models for service-based applications: A systematic literature review

Context

Service-Oriented Computing (SOC) is a promising computing paradigm which facilitates the development of adaptive and loosely coupled service-based applications (SBAs). Many of the technical challenges pertaining to the development of SBAs have been addressed, however, there are still outstanding questions relating to the processes required to develop them.

Objective

The objective of this study is to systematically identify process models for developing service-based applications (SBAs) and review the processes within them. This will provide a useful starting point for any further research in the area. A secondary objective of the study is to identify process models which facilitate the adaptation of SBAs.

Method

In order to achieve this objective a systematic literature review (SLR) of the existing software engineering literature is conducted.

Results

During this research 722 studies were identified using a predefined search strategy, this number was narrowed down to 57 studies based on a set of strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results are reported both quantitatively in the form of a mapping study, as well as qualitatively in the form of a narrative summary of the key processes identified.

Conclusion

There are many process models reported for the development of SBAs varying in detail and maturity, this review has identified and categorised the processes within those process models. The review has also identified and evaluated process models which facilitate the adaptation of SBAs.     

Adaptive middleware supporting scalable performance for high-end network services

Network service-based computation is a promising paradigm for both scientific and engineering, and enterprise computing. The network service allows users to focus on their application and obtain services when needed, simply by invoking the service across the network. In this paper, we show that an adaptive, general-purpose run-time infrastructure in support of effective resource management can be built for a wide range of high-end network services running in a single-site cluster and in a Grid. The primary components of the run-time infrastructure are: (1) dynamic performance prediction; (2) adaptive intra-site resource management; and (3) adaptive inter-site resource management. The novel aspect of our approach is that the run-time system is able to dynamically select the most appropriate performance predictor or resource management strategy over time. This capability not only improves the performance, but also makes the infrastructure reusable across different high-end services. To evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of our approach, we have transformed two different classes of high-end applications—data parallel and distributed applications—into network services using the infrastructure. The experimental results show that the network services running on the infrastructure significantly reduce the overall service times under dynamically varying circumstances.     

A strategy for comparing alternative software development lifecycle models

It is difficult to compare and contrast models of software development because their proponents often use different terminology, and the models often have little in common except their beginnings (marked by a recognition that a problem exists) and ends (marked by the existence of a software solution). A framework is provided that can serve: as a basis for analyzing the similarities and differences among alternate life-cycle models; as a tool for software engineering researchers to help describe the probable impacts of a life-cycle mode; and as a means to help software practitioners decide on an appropriate life-cycle model to utilize on a particular project or in a particular application area     

Continuity of interaction in nomadic interfaces through migration and dynamic utilization of I/O resources

The concept of ubiquitous computing reflects an infrastructure in which users are engaged in mobile interaction sessions within environments composed of dynamically varying computational resources. In this paradigm, applications are required to continuously follow end users and provide high-quality interaction while migrating among different computing devices and dynamically utilizing the available input/output (I/O) resources of each device. In the context of such interaction scenarios, the principle of continuity, which emphasizes the uninterrupted sequence of dialogue activities, is put forward as a key design goal. This paper presents an application experiment demonstrating interface migration, distributed I/O control, and dynamic I/O reconfiguration. The adopted dialogue design approach is discussed, along with the identified interaction design requirements, from the perspective of dialogue continuity. Finally, the employed software engineering strategy is presented, elaborating on the way dialogue mobility, distribution, and dynamic I/O control have been accomplished. Published online: 11 June 2002     

Internetware: An Emerging Software Paradigm for Internet Computing

The Internet is undergoing a tremendous change towards the globalized computing environment.Due to the open,dynamic and uncontrollable natures of the Internet,software running in the Internet computing environment has some new features,which bring challenges to current software technologies in terms of software model,software operating platform,software engineering approaches and software quality.Researchers in China have proposed the term "Internetware" to present the emerging software paradigm.Sponsored by the National Basic Research 973 Program,several research practices have been done on the Internetware in the past decade.This paper summarizes the progress and status of the Internetware researches.A technical solution framework for the Internetware paradigm is proposed from four aspects:the Internetware software model defines what the Internetware is to be;the Internetware middleware determines how to run the Internetware applications;the engineering methodology determines how to develop the Internetware applications;the Internetware quality assurance determines how well the Internetware applications can perform.The paper also discusses the ongoing research issues and future trends of Internetware.     

An overview of Dynamic Software Product Line architectures and techniques: Observations from research and industry

Over the last two decades, software product lines have been used successfully in industry for building families of systems of related products, maximizing reuse, and exploiting their variable and configurable options. In a changing world, modern software demands more and more adaptive features, many of them performed dynamically, and the requirements on the software architecture to support adaptation capabilities of systems are increasing in importance. Today, many embedded system families and application domains such as ecosystems, service-based applications, and self-adaptive systems demand runtime capabilities for flexible adaptation, reconfiguration, and post-deployment activities. However, as traditional software product line architectures fail to provide mechanisms for runtime adaptation and behavior of products, there is a shift toward designing more dynamic software architectures and building more adaptable software able to handle autonomous decision-making, according to varying conditions. Recent development approaches such as Dynamic Software Product Lines (DSPLs) attempt to face the challenges of the dynamic conditions of such systems but the state of these solution architectures is still immature. In order to provide a more comprehensive treatment of DSPL models and their solution architectures, in this research work we provide an overview of the state of the art and current techniques that, partially, attempt to face the many challenges of runtime variability mechanisms in the context of Dynamic Software Product Lines. We also provide an integrated view of the challenges and solutions that are necessary to support runtime variability mechanisms in DSPL models and software architectures.     

基于服务交互行为的复杂服务协同网络建模

随着分布式计算技术的发展,以自治的服务协同与互操作为主要构造手段、结构与行为随需而变的面向服务的软件系统已成为当前主流的软件架构,分析并理解服务交互行为对于这类复杂软件系统的开发、维护和运营具有重要意义.针对面向服务的软件系统中基本构成元素Web服务的复杂交互执行行为,考虑到服务自治性及系统规模化所带来的复杂性,借鉴复杂网络建模分析方法,提出了一种考虑服务行为特征的服务动态行为生长演化模型.模型首先以真实服务的服务结构数据为基础,以服务间参数关联关系为核心,通过参数匹配建立服务结构网络作为基本连通性约束,代表可能发生交互关系的服务.然后,基于服务间的择优选择、组合交互及动态重组等特性,对面向服务的软件系统生长演化及动态执行行为进行了仿真建模.在Seekda及QWS数据集上进行了仿真实验,结果表明:与传统的软件系统的层次性结构有所不同,由自治的Web服务所构成的软件系统具有更强的模块性;与系统中个体服务演化规则,如择优连接及动态重组相比,服务结构网络的性质对系统最终形态有更重要的影响,相关结果对大规模服务软件的构建及分析具有重要的指导意义.     

An Internet-based computing platform for the boundary element method

Computers combined with the Internet are dramatically changing the engineering practices in design and analysis. More and more engineering software applications are moving to the Internet, prompted by the promising advantages, such as easy access for users everywhere with an Internet connection, easy upgrade of the software, easy control of the software. All these advantages will contribute to faster and cost-effective engineering software development and applications. Successful applications of the Internet computing depend largely on the speed of data transfer on the network. The boundary element method (BEM) has the inherent advantages over other domain-based numerical methods, because the size of the BEM model files are always considerably smaller, leading to faster data transfer on the current network. In this paper, a successful investigation in implementing the BEM on the Internet is presented. A BEM code for 2D elastostatic problems is used as the first solver in this work. A graphical-user interface (GUI) for the pre- and post-processing using Java, which provides platform-independent applications, is developed and implemented on the Internet. Demonstration problems using the developed platform clearly show the feasibility of the Internet-based computing and the potentials of this platform for future BEM development with further research.     

On performance evaluation and design of atomic commit protocols for mobile transactions

The challenges of wireless and mobile computing environments have attracted the attention of researchers to revisit the conventional transaction paradigm. Indeed, this paradigm is an indispensable asset in modern information systems. The atomicity property of a distributed transaction is ensured with the use of an atomic commit protocol (ACP). Due to their great importance for transaction systems, the recent advances in mobile computing development have renewed the interest in the design of ACPs for mobile systems. The work presented in this paper studies the impact of the various and fluctuant parameters of wireless and mobile systems on a set of ACPs for mobile environment. It highlights performance indices which give orientations to the design of an adaptable approach that supports different atomicity notions satisfying a wide range of applications and environment requirements.     

Adaptable methodology for automation application development

An adaptable methodology for automation application development (AMAAD) is introduced. This development methodology is based on the key concept that design automation (DA) applications are a subset of higher level knowledge-based engineering (KBE) applications, and thus can be developed using a subset of KBE methods. The proposed methodology is largely built upon two existing KBE methodologies: CommonKADS and MOKA, which have become popular models for automating engineering processes. The proposed extension of these methods introduces flexibility to tailor the process for producing automation software to the specific needs of the problem through the specification of a number of attributes. These attributes are linked to subtasks in the key lifecycle phases of application development. This proposed methodology provides a link between KBE and DA applications and provides structure to the application development process. A software tool was written to facilitate the process of identifying the capability needs of an automated solution, and providing detail of the tasks to be followed for its development.     

网络计算中间件

网络计算中间件是随着互联网的发展而于20世纪90年代兴起的一类基础软件,网络计算中间件为各种网络应用系统的开发、部署、运行和管理提供了有力支持.随着信息网络技术和软件服务工程的快速发展,网络计算中间件又被赋予了新的内涵,首先从网络计算环境出发,就基础中间件、应用集成中间件和领域应用框架的基本概念和主要技术作较全面的诠释;然后聚焦于云计算和物联网等网络计算的热点研究方向,从中间件的角度指出当前值得关注的某些挑战性研究课题和需要深入探索的若干关键技术.