Assessing the SALSA architecture for developing agent-based ambient computing applications

We have proposed the use of autonomous agents for coping with some of the challenges of creating ambient computing systems. The motivation of this research is that ambient computing environments are characterized by the distribution, reactivity, collaboration and adaptation of their artifacts, which are also characteristics attributed to software agents. To assist developers in creating the software entities of an ambient computing environment, the Simple Agent Library for Smart Ambients (SALSA) was created. The SALSA middleware and architecture enables the creation of autonomous agents reactive to the context of the ambient computing environment. SALSA agents can represent users, resources, or wrap complex system functionality of the environment. The aim of this paper is to provide evidence that SALSA facilitates the implementation of ambient computing services through autonomous agents. Unfortunately, the literature on Ubicomp development frameworks has, aside from a few exceptions, not reported experimental evaluation of their usability. The evaluations of Ubicomp development platforms have not addressed this issue since their evaluations have been mostly focused on performance and to prove feasibility. We present the results of an empirical evaluation conducted to assess the use of SALSA. This study included in-lab programming experiments and design exercises to evaluate the programming facilities provided by SALSA agents. Even though for some of the evaluation participants the use of autonomous agents as an abstraction for the development of ubiquitous computing systems was not innate, the evaluation results demonstrate that the execution model of SALSA and its facilities to implement Ubicomp systems are comprehensible.     

Cloud brokering mechanisms for optimized placement of virtual machines across multiple providers

In the past few years, we have witnessed the proliferation of a heterogeneous ecosystem of cloud providers, each one with a different infrastructure offer and pricing policy. We explore this heterogeneity in a novel cloud brokering approach that optimizes placement of virtual infrastructures across multiple clouds and also abstracts the deployment and management of infrastructure components in these clouds. The feasibility of our approach is evaluated in a high throughput computing cluster case study. Experimental results confirm that multi-cloud deployment provides better performance and lower costs compared to the usage of a single cloud only.     

Distributed computing for carbon footprint reduction by exploiting low-footprint energy availability

Low carbon footprint energy sources such as solar and wind power typically suffer from unpredictable or limited availability. By globally distributing a number of these renewable sources, these effects can largely be compensated for. We look at the feasibility of this approach for powering already distributed data centers in order to operate at a reduced total carbon footprint. From our study we show that carbon footprint reductions are possible, but that these are highly dependent on the approach and parameters involved. Especially the manufacturing footprint and the geographical region are critical parameters to consider. Deploying additional data centers can help in reducing the total carbon footprint, but substantial reductions can be achieved when data centers with nominal capacity well below maximum capacity redistribute processing to sites based on renewable energy availability.     

CyberGuarder: A virtualization security assurance architecture for green cloud computing

As the sizes of IT infrastructure continue to grow, cloud computing is a natural extension of virtualisation technologies that enable scalable management of virtual machines over a plethora of physically connected systems. The so-called virtualisation-based cloud computing paradigm offers a practical approach to green IT/clouds, which emphasise the construction and deployment of scalable, energy-efficient network software applications (NetApp) by virtue of improved utilisation of the underlying resources. The latter is typically achieved through increased sharing of hardware and data in a multi-tenant cloud architecture/environment and, as such, accentuates the critical requirement for enhanced security services as an integrated component of the virtual infrastructure management strategy. This paper analyses the key security challenges faced by contemporary green cloud computing environments, and proposes a virtualisation security assurance architecture, CyberGuarder, which is designed to address several key security problems within the ‘green’ cloud computing context. In particular, CyberGuarder provides three different kinds of services; namely, a virtual machine security service, a virtual network security service and a policy based trust management service. Specifically, the proposed virtual machine security service incorporates a number of new techniques which include (1) a VMM-based integrity measurement approach for NetApp trusted loading, (2) a multi-granularity NetApp isolation mechanism to enable OS user isolation, and (3) a dynamic approach to virtual machine and network isolation for multiple NetApp’s based on energy-efficiency and security requirements. Secondly, a virtual network security service has been developed successfully to provide an adaptive virtual security appliance deployment in a NetApp execution environment, whereby traditional security services such as IDS and firewalls can be encapsulated as VM images and deployed over a virtual security network in accordance with the practical configuration of the virtualised infrastructure. Thirdly, a security service providing policy based trust management is proposed to facilitate access control to the resources pool and a trust federation mechanism to support/optimise task privacy and cost requirements across multiple resource pools. Preliminary studies of these services have been carried out on our iVIC platform, with promising results. As part of our ongoing research in large-scale, energy-efficient/green cloud computing, we are currently developing a virtual laboratory for our campus courses using the virtualisation infrastructure of iVIC, which incorporates the important results and experience of CyberGuarder in a practical context.     

基于MapReduce模型的并行量子进化算法

利用MapReduce模型可自动编写串行程序及编程接口简单的优点,实现量子进化算法在MapReduce模型下的并行化,提出基于MapReduce模型的并行量子进化算法MRQEA,并将其部署到Hadoop云计算平台上运行。对0-1背包问题的测试结果证明,MRQEA算法在处理大型数据集时具有良好的加速比和并行效率。     

基于属性的分布式云访问控制方案

云服务中现有访问控制方案对可信第三方具有强烈依赖性。针对该问题,提出一个基于属性的分布式云访问控制方案。建立云访问控制模型,采用ABE的加密树方式构造访问控制策略,并给出用户撤销及策略更新方法。安全性分析表明,该方案能够抵抗共谋攻击,具有数据保密性以及后向前向保密性。     

云计算与物联网在供应链管理中的应用

介绍了云计算与物联网的主要技术特点,阐述了两种技术在供应链管理中的应用,最后指出了应用该技术需要注意的问题及实现技术带来的价值。     

基于云计算的医疗信息系统研究

探讨了多地、异构的医疗卫生机构信息管理数据迁移到云平台上集中管理、应用的实施方案,通过云计算环境,对现有的医疗信息进行联机管理、集成与共享,以实现信息资源的共享,构建医疗信息的共享平台,实现医疗设备、医务人员、医疗机构之间的大范围、多层次互动,实现跨地域、跨学科、多模式的医疗数据的整合与共享,以此实现医疗数据的最优整合和最大协同效应.     

3G与云计算环境下大学英语词汇自主学习效果研究

采用词汇测试与访谈相结合的方法探讨了3G与云计算环境下大学英语词汇自主学习效果。结果显示,3G与云计算环境下,基于智能移动设备的自主学习对提高大学生的词汇量以及词汇运用能力都有显著作用。这主要因为,基于3G和云计算技术构建英语词汇自主学习平台,学习者利用智能移动设备可以随时、随地、随身在真实自然语境中学习和活用词汇,再加上学习过程中与教师和其他学习者的实时交互和协作,其词汇学习的效率与质量有了大幅提高。     

并行化退火粒子滤波

本文提出一种基于异构计算的并行化退火粒子滤波方法(P-APF),使用OpenCL框架实现了实时无标记运动跟踪任务。退火粒子滤波过程被分解成若干具有相应粒度的子任务。根据相应的并行度,每个计算任务被分配到标准或附属处理器进行处理,以充分利用OpenCL框架的异构计算能力。提出一种任务时延隐藏策略进一步减少时间消耗。在不同人体运动数据库的实验中,P-APF能在不降低跟踪精度的前提下实现实时处理。时间消耗随着粒子数或视角数目的增加基本保持不变,平均加速比为106。