Specific Electronic Platform to Test the Influence of Hypervisors on the Performance of Embedded Systems

[EN] Some complex digital circuits must host various operating systems in a single electronic platform to make real-time and not-real-time tasks compatible or assign different priorities to current applications. For this purpose, some hardware–software techniques—called virtualization—must be integrated to run the operating systems independently, as isolated in different processors: virtual machines. These are monitored and managed by a software tool named hypervisor, which is in charge of allowing each operating system to take control of the hardware resources. Therefore, the hypervisor determines the effectiveness of the system when reacting to events. To measure, estimate or compare the performance of different ways to configure the virtualization, our research team has designed and implemented a specific testbench: an electronic system, based on a complex System on Chip with a processing system and programmable logic, to configure the hardware–software partition and show merit figures, to evaluate the performance of the different options, a field that has received insufficient attention so far. In this way, the fabric of the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) can be exploited for measurements and instrumentation. The platform has been validated with two hypervisors, Xen and Jailhouse, in a multiprocessor System-on-Chip, by executing real-time operating systems and application programs in different contexts.This work has been supported by the Basque Government within the project HAZITEK ZE-2020/00022 as well as the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spain through the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI) within the project IDI-20201264 and FEDER fund

Analysis of component-based approaches toward componentized 5G

5G is expected to be modular by design toward autonomic and agile networks. In this regards, the 5G functional architecture is designed as service-based seeking to support the concept of Network Slicing. This leads us to the question: what componentization approach to implement this modular architecture? Is there a componentization approach that is suitable for all the network functions? Which design approach will help to have autonomic and cognitive networks? In this paper we shed the light on the different component-based approaches. In addition, we reviewed the state of the art addressing the applicability of component-based approaches to build autonomic networks. Therefore, we present discussion, comparison and synthesis as input to 5G related activities

OpenFog-Compliant Application-Aware Platform: A Kubernetes Extension

Distributed computing paradigms have evolved towards low latency and highly virtualized environments. Fog Computing, as its latest iteration, enables the usage of Cloud-like services closer to the generators and consumers of data. The processing in this layer is performed by Fog Applications, which are decomposed into smaller components following the microservice paradigm and encapsulated into containers. Current state-of-the-art container orchestrators can manage hundreds of simultaneous containers. However, Kubernetes, being the de facto standard, does not consider the application itself as a top-level entity, which limits its orchestration capabilities. This raises the need to rearchitect Kubernetes to benefit from application-awareness, which refers to an orchestration method optimized for managing the applications and the set of components that comprise them. Thus, this paper proposes an application-aware and OpenFog-compliant architecture that manages applications as first-level entities during their lifecycle. Furthermore, the proposed architecture allows the definition of organizational structures to group subordinated applications based on user-defined hierarchies. This logical structuring makes it possible to outline how orchestration should be shaped to reflect the operating model of a system or an organization. The proposed architecture is implemented as a Kubernetes extension and provided as an operator.This research was funded by the project PES18/48 funded by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and by the PhD fellowship granted under the frame of the PIF 2022 call funded by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), grant number PIF22/188

Advances in Information Security and Privacy

With the recent pandemic emergency, many people are spending their days in smart working and have increased their use of digital resources for both work and entertainment. The result is that the amount of digital information handled online is dramatically increased, and we can observe a significant increase in the number of attacks, breaches, and hacks. This Special Issue aims to establish the state of the art in protecting information by mitigating information risks. This objective is reached by presenting both surveys on specific topics and original approaches and solutions to specific problems. In total, 16 papers have been published in this Special Issue

Dinamičko formiranje distribuiranog mikro okruženja u računarstvu u oblaku

This thesis presents research in the field of distributed systems. We present the dynamic organization of geodistributed edge nodes into micro data-centers forming micro clouds to cover any arbitrary area and expand capacity, availability, and reliability. A cloud organization is used as an influence with adaptations for a different environment with a clear separation of concerns, and native applications model that can leverage the newly formed system. With the separation of concerns setup, edge-native applications model, and a unified node organization, we are moving towards the idea of edge computing as a service, like any other utility in cloud computing. We also give formal models for all protocols used for the creation of such a system.U sklopu disertacije izvršeno je istraživanje u oblasti distribuiranih sistema. Predstavili smo dinamičku organizaciju geo-distribuiranih čvorova u mikro centre za obradu podataka koji formiraju mikro okruženja računarstva u oblaku kako bi pokrili bilo koje proizvoljno područje i proširili kapacitet, dostupnost i pouzdanost. Koristili smo organizaciju računarstva u oblaku kao inspiraciju, sa adaptacijama za drugačije okruženje sa jasnom podelom nadležnosti, i modelom aplikacija koji može da iskoristi novoformirani sistem. Jasna podela nadležnosti, model aplikacija i dinamička organizacijom čvorova, čine da se predstavljeni model ponude kao i bilo koji drugi uslužni servis. Takođe dajemo formalne modele za sve protokole koji se koriste za stvaranje takvog sistema

Recent Advances in Embedded Computing, Intelligence and Applications

The latest proliferation of Internet of Things deployments and edge computing combined with artificial intelligence has led to new exciting application scenarios, where embedded digital devices are essential enablers. Moreover, new powerful and efficient devices are appearing to cope with workloads formerly reserved for the cloud, such as deep learning. These devices allow processing close to where data are generated, avoiding bottlenecks due to communication limitations. The efficient integration of hardware, software and artificial intelligence capabilities deployed in real sensing contexts empowers the edge intelligence paradigm, which will ultimately contribute to the fostering of the offloading processing functionalities to the edge. In this Special Issue, researchers have contributed nine peer-reviewed papers covering a wide range of topics in the area of edge intelligence. Among them are hardware-accelerated implementations of deep neural networks, IoT platforms for extreme edge computing, neuro-evolvable and neuromorphic machine learning, and embedded recommender systems

Smart Service Innovation: Organization, Design, and Assessment

Background: The emergence of technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and wireless communication drives the digital transformation of the entire society. Organizations can exploit these potentials by offering new data-driven services with innovative value propositions, such as carsharing, remote equipment maintenance, and energy management services. These services result from value co-creation enabled by smart service systems, which are configurations of people, processes, and digital technologies. However, developing such systems was found to be challenging in practice. This is mainly due to the difficulties of managing complexity and uncertainty in the innovation process, as contributions of various actors from multiple disciplines must be coordinated. Previous research in service innovation and service systems engineering (SSE) has not shed sufficient light on the specifics of smart services, while research on smart service systems lacks empirical grounding. Purpose: This thesis aims to advance the understanding of the systematic development of smart services in multi-actor settings by investigating how smart service innovation (SSI) is conducted in practice, particularly regarding the participating actors, roles they assume, and methods they apply for designing smart service systems. Furthermore, the existing set of methods is extended by new methods for the design-integrated assessment of smart services and service business models. Approach: Empirical and design science methods were combined to address the research questions. To explore how SSI is conducted in practice, 25 interviews with experts from 13 organizations were conducted in two rounds. Building on service-dominant logic (SDL) as a theoretical foundation and a multi-level framework for SSI, the involvement of actors, their activities, employed means, and experienced challenges were collected. Additionally, a case study was used to evaluate the suitability of the Lifecycle Modelling Language to describe smart service systems. Design science methods were applied to determine a useful combination of service design methods and to build meta-models and tools for assessing smart services. They were evaluated using experiments and the talk aloud method. Results: On the macro-level, service ecosystems consist of various actors that conduct service innovation through the reconfiguration of resources. Collaboration of these actors is facilitated on the meso-level within a project. The structure and dynamics of project configurations can be described through a set of roles, innovation patterns, and ecosystem states. Four main activities have been identified, which actors perform to reduce uncertainty in the project. To guide their work, actors apply a variety of means from different disciplines to develop and document work products. The approach of design-integrated business model assessment is enabled through a meta-model that links qualitative aspects of service architectures and business models with quantitative assessment information. The evaluation of two tool prototypes showed the feasibility and benefit of this approach. Originality / Value: The results reported in this thesis advance the understanding of smart service innovation. They contribute to evidence-based knowledge on service systems engineering and its embedding in service ecosystems. Specifically, the consideration of actors, roles, activities, and methods can enhance existing reference process models. Furthermore, the support of activities in such processes through suitable methods can stimulate discussions on how methods from different disciplines can be applied and combined for developing the various aspects of smart service systems. The underlying results help practitioners to better organize and conduct SSI projects. As potential roles in a service ecosystem depend on organizational capabilities, the presented results can support the analysis of ex¬ternal dependencies and develop strategies for building up internal competencies.:Abstract iii Content Overview iv List of Abbreviations viii List of Tables x List of Figures xii PART A - SYNOPSIS 1 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Motivation 2 1.2 Research Objectives and Research Questions 4 1.3 Thesis Structure 6 2 Research Background 7 2.1 Smart Service Systems 7 2.2 Service-Dominant Logic 8 2.3 Service Innovation in Ecosystems 11 2.4 Systematic Development of Smart Service Systems 13 3 Research Approach 21 3.1 Research Strategy 21 3.2 Applied Research Methods 22 4 Summary of Findings 26 4.1 Overview of Research Results 26 4.2 Organizational Setup of Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 27 4.3 Conducting Smart Service Innovation Projects 32 4.4 Approaches for the Design-integrated Assessment of Smart Services 39 5 Discussion 44 5.1 Contributions 44 5.2 Limitations 46 5.3 Managerial Implications 47 5.4 Directions for Future Research 48 6 Conclusion 54 References 55 PART B - PUBLICATIONS 68 7 It Takes More than Two to Tango: Identifying Roles and Patterns in Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 69 7.1 Introduction 69 7.2 Research Background 72 7.3 Methodology 76 7.4 Results 79 7.5 Discussion 90 7.6 Conclusions and Outlook 96 7.7 References 97 8 Iterative Uncertainty Reduction in Multi-Actor Smart Service Innovation 100 8.1 Introduction 100 8.2 Research Background 103 8.3 Research Approach 109 8.4 Findings 113 8.5 Discussion 127 8.6 Conclusions and Outlook 131 8.7 References 133 9 How to Tame the Tiger – Exploring the Means, Ends, and Challenges in Smart Service Systems Engineering 139 9.1 Introduction 139 9.2 Research Background 140 9.3 Methodology 143 9.4 Results 145 9.5 Discussion and Conclusions 151 9.6 References 153 10 Combining Methods for the Design of Digital Services in Practice: Experiences from a Predictive Costing Service 156 10.1 Introduction 156 10.2 Conceptual Foundation 157 10.3 Preparing the Action Design Research Project 158 10.4 Application and Evaluation of Methods 160 10.5 Discussion and Formalization of Learning 167 10.6 Conclusion 169 10.7 References 170 11 Modelling of a Smart Service for Consumables Replenishment: A Life Cycle Perspective 171 11.1 Introduction 171 11.2 Life Cycles of Smart Services 173 11.3 Case Study 178 11.4 Discussion of the Modelling Approach 185 11.5 Conclusion and Outlook 187 11.6 References 188 12 Design-integrated Financial Assessment of Smart Services 192 12.1 Introduction 192 12.2 Problem Analysis 195 12.3 Meta-Model Design 200 12.4 Application of the Meta-Model in a Tool Prototype 204 12.5 Evaluation 206 12.6 Discussion 208 12.7 Conclusions 209 12.8 References 211 13 Towards a Cost-Benefit-Analysis of Data-Driven Business Models 215 13.1 Introduction 215 13.2 Conceptual Foundation 216 13.3 Methodology 218 13.4 Case Analysis 220 13.5 A Cost-Benefit-Analysis Model for DDBM 222 13.6 Conclusion and Outlook 225 13.7 References 226 14 Enabling Design-integrated Assessment of Service Business Models Through Factor Refinement 228 14.1 Introduction 228 14.2 Related Work 229 14.3 Research Goal and Method 230 14.4 Solution Design 231 14.5 Demonstration 234 14.6 Discussion 235 14.7 Conclusion 236 14.8 References 23

Aeronautical Engineering. A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 135, May 1981

This bibliography lists 536 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in April 1981