Andrew J. McCarthy

A framework for constraint-based development and autonomic management of distributed applications

We propose a framework for the deployment and subsequent autonomic management of component-based distributed applications. An initial deployment goal is specified using a declarative constraint language, expressing constraints over aspects such as component-host mappings and component interconnection topology. A constraint solver is used to find a configuration that satisfies the goal, and the configuration is deployed automatically. The deployed application is instrumented to allow subsequent autonomic management. If, during execution, the manager detects that the original goal is no longer being met, the satisfy/deploy process can be repeated automatically in order to generate a revised deployment that does meet the goal.

Architectural Support for Global Smart Spaces

A GLObal Smart Space (GLOSS) provides support for interaction amongst people, artefacts and places while taking account of both context and movement on a global scale. Crucial to the definition of a GLOSS is the provision of a set of location-aware services that detect, convey, store and exploit location information. We use one of these services, hearsay, to illustrate the implementation dimensions of a GLOSS. The focus of the paper is on both local and global software architecture to support the implementation of such services. The local architecture is based on XML pipelines and is used to construct location-aware components. The global architecture is based on a hybrid peer-to-peer routing scheme and provides the local architectures with the means to communicate in the global context.

A flexible and secure deployment framework for distributed applications

This paper describes an implemented system that is designed to support the deployment of applications offering distributed services, comprising a number of distributed components. This is achieved by creating high level placement and topology descriptions that drive tools to deploy applications consisting of components running on multiple hosts. The system addresses issues of heterogeneity by providing abstractions over host-specific attributes yielding a homogeneous run-time environment into which components may be deployed. The run-time environments provide secure binding mechanisms that permit deployed components to bind to stored data and services on the hosts on which they are running.

A Framework for Constraint-Based Deployment and Autonomic Management of Distributed Applications (Extended Abstract)

We propose a framework for the deployment and subsequent autonomic management of componentbased distributed applications. An initial deployment goal is specified using a declarative constraint language, expressing constraints over aspects such as component-host mappings and component interconnection topology. A constraint solver is used to find a configuration that satisfies the goal, and the configuration is deployed automatically. The deployed application is instrumented to allow subsequent autonomic management. If, during execution, the manager detects that the original goal is no longer being met, the satisfy/deploy process can be repeated automatically in order to generate a revised deployment that does meet the goal.