Stéphane Betge-Brezetz

UML extensions for the specification and evaluation of latency constraints in architectural models

UML Specifications provides some guides for the description of performance requirements, but these requirements are represented with natural language constraints. This paper introduces UML extensions for the representation of temporal requirements and resource usage and their automatic evaluation. They are defined using standard UML extension techniques. These standard extensions introduce a set of formal constraints, tagged values and stereotypes, which allow the representation of general latency and capacity quality of service requirements. We have included these extensions in a commercial UML CASE tool that provides scheduling analysis services and results. We use scheduling analysis and simulation techniques in the evaluation.

Requirements for service level agreement management

The aim of the paper is to introduce and present the main drivers and basic concepts for SLA management. We discuss the business requirements according to two viewpoints: the customers and the service providers. We go into more detail on the technical requirements for both the SLA contract itself and the SLA management system. Finally, we give an overview of SLA management open issues in the industrial and research community.

Automatic Generation of Simulation Models for the Evaluation of Performance and Reliability of Architectures Specified in UML

Non-functional requirements are especially critical in real-time and distributed systems. UML is progressively becoming a standard of object-oriented analysis and design of systems, it pays attention to software architectures specification, but it does not take into account their evaluation, and the specification of resource restrictions and non-functional requirements. In this paper we introduce an approach for the evaluation of non-functional requirements in UML models, using simulation techniques. Simulation models are generated automatically, and their execution provides results to evaluate the UML architectures. The simulation statistics generated allow the evaluation of some non-functional requirements like resources usage, objects and classes activity and availability, restoration times of errors and throughputs. We associate these results to objects, classes, states, operations, actors, system resources and other UML elements. UML semiformal semantics have associated problems that we reduce with UML extension techniques.

Alarm correlation for complex telecommunication networks using neural networks and signal processing

The aim of this paper is to investigate new tracks to tackle the open issues of alarm correlation for complex networks (e.g. IP/SDH or IP/WDM). The suggested approach consist of transforming, by means of a neural network the equipment alarm messages into a signal, and then, to use signal-processing methods in order to extract the relevant information for diagnosis.

Seeding the Cloud: An Innovative Approach to Grow Trust in Cloud Based Infrastructures

Complying with security and privacy requirements of appliances such as mobile handsets, personal computers, servers for customers, enterprises and governments is mandatory to prevent from theft of sensitive data and to preserve their integrity. Nowadays, with the rising of the Cloud Computing approach in business fields, security and privacy are even more critical. The aim of this article is then to propose a way to build a secure and trustable Cloud. The idea is to spread and embed Secure Elements (SE) on each level of the Cloud in order to make a wide trusted infrastructure which complies with access control and isolation policies. This article presents therefore this new approach of trusted Cloud infrastructure based on a Network of Secure Elements (NoSE), and it illustrates this approach through different use cases.

An information model for service and network management integration: from needs towards solutions

This paper proposes enhancements for information modeling to support service and network management integration. Despite the existence of management standard models (TMN, TMF, DMTF), it seems that operators are facing difficulties choosing the appropriate model, defining its instances and achieving its implementations. The analysis of this situation stresses the need for an information model able to represent the real world objects independently of their management. To respond to this key requirement, we propose solutions, based on a metamodel, that guarantee information coherence, self-management capability and management integration. These propositions allow the operators to support new workflows and to handle new services efficiently. Furthermore, the M3100 model, the MTNM model and the ENST model are applied to model an ADSL network example.

Multimodal notification framework for elderly and professional in a smart nursing home

This article presents a multimodal notification framework allowing the optimal delivery and handling of multimedia requests and medical alerts in a nursing home. Multimodal notifications are automatically adapted to different criteria such as the device characteristics, capabilities and modalities, the emergency of the situation, the semantics of the notification, the recipient, etc. This framework is operated with various applications (e.g., health alert, medicine reminder, activity proposition) that have been supported by user requirement analysis done nearby an elderly population and healthcare professionals (e.g., nurses, caregivers). An acceptability study was performed to understand the users’ expectations regarding this new technology and modalities. This study was followed by the evaluation of proposed services with different real end-users in a pilot site. Results of these studies presented in this paper highlight the added value of the proposed framework to enhance the quality of life of elderly people as well as the efficiency of the medical staff.