Résumé | Abstract:
Over the history of distributed systems, a number of interoperability
solutions have emerged both in terms of proposed standards for
interoperability and solutions to bridging between standards.
Distributed systems have, however continued to evolve and we
particularly note two important trends: the dramatically increasing
level of heterogeneity coupled by the increasing dynamism in
contemporary distributed systems. The end result is that it is very
difficult to achieve interoperability in any systematic way. Indeed, we
can say that distributed systems are in crisis with no principled
solutions to interoperability for such complex and dynamic distributed
systems structures. This talk discusses the problems of achieving
interoperability in the complex distributed systems of today, and
highlights the role of emergent middleware as a possible solution to
this problem. Emergent middleware is an interoperability solution
whereby the required connectivity is generated at run-time to match the
current context and requirements. A models@runtime approach is put
forward as a solution towards achieving the run time generation of
middleware; and in particular the Starlink software framework is
investigated. Finally, the talk also considers the potential role of
ontologies in supporting meaning and reasoning in the connection of
networked services.
Bio:
Paul Grace is a senior research associate in the School of Computing and
Communications at Lancaster University; he has previously spent time
working as a research scientist at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. At
Lancaster, he’s currently working on the Connect project investigating
dynamic interoperability solutions in complex distributed systems. His
research interests are in distributed systems architecture and
middleware, adaptive software solutions, and the application of
model-driven engineering in systems software. He received his PhD from
Lancaster in 2004, an MSc from the same institution in 2000 and a BSc
from the University of York in 1999. |