Software Evolution for Moving into and Moving within Internetware Paradigm

Internetware has been an emerging software paradigm to best support computing in the Internet era. Internetware emphasises accommodating the open, dynamic and uncontrollable natures of Internet, which directly and indirectly relates software evolvability. This paper observes that evolving non-Internetware software into the Internetware paradigm and evolving software within Internetware will be two main research and practical issues, and hence proposes an integrated approach to address these two issues. The proposed framework is based a three-dimension structure, with System Functions, System Quality and System models as dimensions. With this framework, evolving software into internetware paradigm can be viewed mainly as changing the qualities of existing software and evolving software within Internetware paradigm can be viewed mainly as changing software functions. The involved prototype tool, working examples and experiments conducted, are used to illustrate the proposed approach.     

Towards Software Architecture and Mechanisms for Improving Runtime Variability of Internetware System

As an emerging software paradigm, Internetware is proposed to handle openness, dynamism of software systems in the context of Internet, which implies that such software systems typically have runtime variability that can be improved dynamically to handle various or even unexpected changes of requirements and open environment. Though many progresses of Internetware software technologies have been made to support the adaptation, evolution, context-awareness, etc. of Internetware, how to construct Internetware systems with the ability to improve their runtime variability is still a great challenge in the literature of software engineering. In this paper, we propose software architecture and mechanisms for Internetware systems to support the improvement of their runtime variability by combining software variability and autonomic computing techniques. The Internetware system is organized as three levels that are consist of variable autonomic elements and Internetware entities, and architecture of these software entities is defined and discussed respectively. Moreover, we put forward a series of runtime mechanisms based on these levels, including module selection, intermediator and horizontal management, to realize operations upon the variation points and variants in software architectures and thus achieve the improvement of runtime variability. We develop a sample of Personal Data Resource Network to depict the requirements and scenario of improving runtime variability, and further study the case based on our proposed approach to show its effectiveness and applicability.     

Technical framework for Internetware: An architecture centric approach

Being a new software paradigm evolved by the Internet, Internetware brings many challenges to the traditional software methods and techniques. Sponsored by the national basic research program （973）, researchers in China have developed an architecture centric technical framework for the definition, incarnation and engineering of Internetware. First of all, a software model for Internetware is defined for what to be, including that Internetware entities should be packaged as components, behaving as agents, interoperating as services, collaborating in a structured and on demand manner, etc. Secondly, a middleware for Internetware is designed and implemented for how to be, including that Internetware entities are incarnated by runtime containers, structured collaborations are enabled by runtime software architecture, Internetware can be managed in a reflective and autonomic manner, etc. Thirdly, an engineering methodology for Internetware is proposed for how to do, including the way to develop Internetware entities and their collaborations by transforming and refining a set of software architectures which cover all the phases of software lifecycle, the way to identify and organize the disordered software assets by domain modeling, etc.     

A software architecture centric engineering approach for Internetware

As a new software paradigm evolved by the Internet, Internetware brings many challenges for the traditional software development methods and techniques. Though architecture-based component composition (ABC) approach is originated in the traditional software paradigm, it supports the engineering of Internetware effectively due to its philosophy, rationales and mechanisms. ABC has three major contributions to the en- gineering of Internetware in detail. First, the feature oriented domain modeling method can structure the “disordered”“software entities” to “ordered Internetware” bottom-up in the problem space. Second, the architecture centric design and analysis method can support the development of self-adaptive Internetware. Third, the component operating platform is a reflective and self-adaptive middleware that not only provides Internetware with a pow- erful and flexible runtime infrastructure but also enables the self-adaptation of the structure and individual entities of Internetware.     

On environment-driven software model for Internetware

Internetware is envisioned as a general software paradigm for the application style of resources integration and sharing in the open, dynamic and uncertain platforms such as the Internet. Continuing the agent-based Internetware model presented in a previous paper, in this paper, after an analysis of the behavioral patterns and the technical challenges of environment-driven applications, a software-structuring model is proposed for environment-driven Internetware applications. A series of explorations on the enabling techniques for the model, especially the modeling, management and utilization of context information are presented. Several proto-typical systems have also been built to prove the concepts and evaluate the techniques. These research efforts make a further step toward the Internetware paradigm by providing an initial framework for the construction of context-aware and self-adaptive software application systems in the open network environment.     

Preface

The vision of ''Internet as a computer'' motivates many technical trends, like pervasive computing, grid computing, service computing and recently, cloud computing, as well as some business trends, like modern service industry, digital economy and smarter planet. These evolutionary changes demand that the software systems which are running on the open and dynamic Internet have to be autonomous, context-sensitive, continuous-reactive, evolutionary, and proactive, and the software entities dispersed on distributed nodes over the Internet will be turned into self-contained, autonomous and adaptive. Thus, like the information Web, i.e. the World Wide Web, these Internet-based software entities will constitute a software Web. That gives birth a new software paradigm. A portmanteau term ''Internetware'' is used to denote the future software-web. An Internetware system will be able to perceive the changes of the open and dynamic environment, respond to the changes, and exhibit the context-aware, adaptive and trustworthy behaviors. The mission of Internetware may challenge many aspects of software technologies, from the operating platforms and the programming models to the engineering approaches. Internetware 2010, the second Asia-Pacific Symposium on Internetware, aims to provide an interactive forum where researchers and professionals from multiple disciplines and domains meet and exchange ideas to explore and address the challenges brought by Internetware. The symposium was held at Suzhou, China, during the 2-4 of Nov, 2010. Thirty three papers were submitted and each of them was reviewed by at least two members of an International Program Committee. Among them, 12 have been accepted (which means an acceptance rate of 36%) for their quality as well as for their interesting terms of discussions for the symposium attendees. This special issue contains 7 revised and substantially extended papers from the 12 based on presentations at the symposium: ......     

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.     

用抽象质量类型构建高质量网构软件

在开发基于因特网的软件系统(文中称为网构软件)时,在开发过程的各个阶段都需要考虑软件系统的多种质量属性,这样网构软件的质量才能在软件系统的规约和设计阶段进行推导和预测,从而在部署和运行阶段进一步进行评估和验证。提出了一种新的抽象概念,即抽象质量类型,将软件实体的数据状态、相关的操作、质量属性以及保证质量得以实现的环境封装在一个统一的语法单元中,从而为建模软件实体以及推导其功能和非功能属性提供了一种严格的手段。探讨了基于软件体系结构及软件交互过程的抽象质量类型的组合,这为构建高质量网构软件提供了一定的形式化基础。最后,还描出了一个系统原型来展示如何利用抽象质量类型构造网构软件,并验证和提高网构软件系统的相关质量属性。     

基于服务更新的网构软件可靠性模型研究

网构软件是在开放、动态和多变的Internet环境下软件系统基本形态的一种抽象。这种新的软件系统,它的构建依赖于开放环境中各异构、自治的软件服务实体之间的有效协同。其可靠性不单取决于拥有自主性的软件服务实体本身,还取决于外部环境的动态变化,主要表现为开放环境下服务实体元素的更新,所以传统的软件可靠性的度量模型已不能适应这种新的软件形态。能否在网构软件形态下建立一个好的可靠性度量模型成为其中一个较为核心的问题。文章以服务更新过程中失效数(failurecounts)为基础,将服务更新强度引入Musa-Okumoto(M-O)模型中,作为M-O模型在新的软件形态下的一个推广。最后讨论了网构软件退化的情形和退化条件,为开放环境下网构软件可靠性研究提供一种思路。     

互联网时代软件技术的现状与趋势

互联网的快速发展和延伸引发了信息技术和信息产业的新一轮变革,把软件和互联网紧密结合在一起,互联网环境下软件即服务的理念已经开始改变软件研发乃至整个产业的格局。本文回顾现有基于网络的新型计算范型和应用模式,探讨了软件模型、软件运行平台和支撑机制、软件开发方法和软件质量评价与保障体系的现状发展与趋势,讨论并开展了展望下一步的研究工作。     

Flourishing creativity in software development via Internetware paradigm

While culture being the software controlling human mind, computer software development becomes one of the most creative activities that human undertake since the civilisation began. The only limitation in software creation is human imagination, and that limit is often self-imposed. The “Internetware”, referring to a software paradigm, aims to satisfy the need of human kind using Internet as an integrated development and execution platform. Such software systems are composed of entities distributed through the Internetwork, allowing connections that would be impossible or difficult to make otherwise. One of the tasks for the Internetware is to accommodate creativity, to understand the general settings of creative design process and to develop programs that can enhance creativity without necessarily being creative themselves. Therefore, it can be summarized that a development environment needs to be built to best support software creation process of six steps including searching, ideating, specifying, coding, testing and evolving. An E-Health application eco-system is used to illustrate the proposed development process model.     

特征模型驱动的网构软件构件组装与优化方法

面向特征的领域分析方法可为网构软件中资源的有序化提供有效支持.从领域工程的角度出发,提出一种特征模型驱动的网构软件组装与优化方法,该方法以iJackson图描述网构软件的特征模型,结合软件体系结构特点,分析了将特征模型转换为面向业务构件、基于工作流图技术的组合模型的机制,通过应用图论方法,将组合模型建模为以领域特征簇为中心的构件组装结构图,围绕面向多目标需求的QoS模型,建立了Internet环境下网构软件构件组装问题的数学模型,提出了一种基于蚁群优化算法的全局优化方法.最后,以网上书店系统为倒,介绍了仿真实验过程,并说明了方法的有效性和可行性.     

一个适用于网构软件的信任度量及演化模型

网构软件的构建依赖于对开放协同环境中各种异构的、自治的软件服务实体间的有效协同.Internet的开放性与动态性,使得对于诚实的、具有可靠服务质量协同实体的选择难度较大,难以确保网构软件的可信性.软件实体间的信任关系对于保障网构软件的可信性具有重要的指导意义.软件实体间的信任关系通常随协作的进行而不断变化,但现有的信任模型缺乏对实体间信任关系的自动形成与更新的支持,从而无法刻画信任关系的动态性.针对该问题,提出了一个适用于网构软件的信任度量及演化模型.该模型不仅对信任关系度量过程和信任信息传递及合并过程进行了合理抽象,而且还提供了一种合理的方法,用于促进协同实体间信任关系的自动形成与更新.该模型有助于解决开放环境下网构软件的可信性问题.     

基于Agent的网构软件构件模型及其实现

网构软件代表了Internet环境下的一种新型的软件形态,但仍然面临着外部环境显式化、软件实体主体化、运行机制自适应等问题.从构件的角度出发,提出了EBDI(electronic business document exchange)结构以表示能够根据环境变化实施自主行为的构件,利用动态绑定关系解释了构件的自适应演化特征.根据形式化的Role模型,描述了构件的运行状态、自主运行及自适应演化运行机制.开发了DAgent-Internetware原型作为网构软件的支撑平台,支持以DAgent为构件的网构软件从设计到实现、部署、运行、演化等一系列流程.     

Internet计算环境下的新型软件形态——网构软件(Internetware)综述

软件形态受到应用、平台和技术发展的影响而不断演化。由于Internet这一新的计算环境的普及,传统的软件形态逐渐无法适应Internet环境下的开发和应用,需要研究新的软件形态和软件技术。该文在分析软件发展历史的基础上结合相关研究说明了基于Internet环境的网构软件(Internetware)是未来软件的发展趋势,介绍了网构软件的基本特征,并说明了网构软件领域的研究问题。     

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.     

The QoS-based MCDM system for SaaS ERP applications with Social Network

Cloud computing delivers almost all of its services including software, user’s data, system resources, processes and their computation over the Internet. Cloud computing consists of three main classes; Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service. Using Software as a Service (SaaS), users are able to rent application software and databases which they then install onto their computer in the traditional way. In the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the system service environment changed so as to allow the application of the SaaS in the cloud computing environment. This change was implemented in order to provide the ERP system service to users in a cheaper, more convenient and efficient form through the Internet as opposed to having to set up their own computer. Recently many SaaS ERP packages are available on the Internet. For this reason, it is very difficult for users to find the SaaS ERP package that would best suit their requirements. The QoS (Quality of Service) model can provide a solution to this problem. However, according to recent research, not only quality attributes’ identification for SaaS ERP, but also a process for finding and recommending software in the cloud computing environment, has proved to be lacking. In this paper, we propose a QoS model for SaaS ERP. The proposed QoS model consists of 6 criteria; Functionality, Reliability, Usability, Efficiency, Maintainability and Business. Using this QoS model, we propose a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) system that finds the best fit for the SaaS ERP in the cloud computing environment and makes recommendations to users in priority order. In order to organize the quality clusters, we organized an expert group and got their opinion to organize the quality clusters using Social Network Group. Social Networks can be used efficiently to get opinion by various types of expert groups. In order to establish the priority, we used pairwise comparisons to calculate the priority weights of each quality attribute while accounting for their interrelation. Finally, using the quality network model and priority weights, this study evaluated three types of SaaS ERPs. Our results show how to find the most suitable SaaS ERPs according to their correlation with the criteria and to recommend a SaaS ERP package which best suits users’ needs.     

Model-based cross-layer monitoring and adaptation of multilayer systems

With the vision of "Internet as a computer", complex software-intensive systems running on the Internet, or the "Internetwares", can be also divided into multiple layers. Each layer has a different focus, implementation technique, and stakeholders. Monitoring and adaptation of such multilayer systems are challenging, because the mismatches and adaptations are interrelated across the layers. This interrelation makes it difficult to find out: 1) When a system change causes mismatches in one layer, how to identify all the cascaded mismatches on the other layers? 2) When an adaptation is performed at one layer, how to find out all the complementary adaptations required in other layers? This paper presents a model-based approach towards cross-layer monitoring and adaptation of multilayer systems. We provide standard meta-modelling languages for system experts to specify the concepts and constraints separately for each layer, as well as the relations among the concepts from different layers. Within each individual layer, we use run-time models to represent the system state specific to this layer, monitor the systems by evaluating model changes according to specified constraints, and support manual or semi-automated adaption by modifying the models. When a change happens in the run-time model for one layer, either caused by system changes or by the adaptation, we synchronize the models for other layers to identify cascaded mismatches and complementary adaptations across the layers. We illustrate the approach on a simulated crisis management system, and are using it on a number of ongoing projects.     

Decoupling as a Fundamental Value of Computer Science

Computer science is an engineering science whose objective is to determine how to best control interactions among computational objects. We argue that it is a fundamental computer science value to design computational objects so that the dependencies required by their interactions do not result in couplings, since coupling inhibits change. The nature of knowledge in any science is revealed by how concepts in that science change through paradigm shifts, so we analyze classic paradigm shifts in both natural and computer science in terms of decoupling. We show that decoupling pervades computer science both at its core and in the wider context of computing at large, and lies at the very heart of computer science’s value system.     

动态计算网络:一种面向物联网的普适计算框架

随着物联网的发展,大量不同的设备通过各种不同的方式连接到物联网中,使普适计算环境更加复杂和多样化,因此要求在物联网环境下的普适计算框架能适应新的计算条件的变化。提出了一种新的普适计算框架,以便在物联网环境中普适计算系统能够自动适应复杂多样的软硬件运行环境,使软件无需修改就可以在整个物联网环境中任意地执行,实现普适计算的服务发现、上下文感知与服务迁移功能。提出物联网环境下普适计算的基本运算单元为"动态计算网络",使用"设备动态匹配"作为普适计算软件自动适应环境的解决方案。提出的动态计算网络增强了普适计算软件对物联网环境的适应性,为面向物联网的通用软件系统设计提供了一种有效的解决方法。