A simulation access language and framework for project management applications

As computer programs become ever more complex, software development has shifted from focusing on programming towards focusing on integration. This paper describes a simulation access language (SimAL) that can be used to access and compose software applications over the Internet. Specifically, the framework is developed for the integration of tools for project management applications. The infrastructure allows users to specify and to use existing heterogeneous tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel, Primavera Project Planner, and AutoCAD) for simulation of project scenarios. This paper describes the components of the SimAL language and the implementation efforts required in the development of the SimAL framework. An illustration example bringing on-line weather forecasting service for project scheduling and management applications is provided to demonstrate the use of the simulation language and the infrastructure framework

A simulation access language and framework for project management applications

As computer programs become ever more complex, software development has shifted from focusing on programming towards focusing on integration. This paper describes a simulation access language (SimAL) that can be used to access and compose software applications over the Internet. Specifically, the framework is developed for the integration of tools for project management applications. The infrastructure allows users to specify and to use existing heterogeneous tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel, Primavera Project Planner, and AutoCAD) for simulation of project scenarios. This paper describes the components of the SimAL language and the implementation efforts required in the development of the SimAL framework. An illustration example bringing on-line weather forecasting service for project scheduling and management applications is provided to demonstrate the use of the simulation language and the infrastructure framework

Orchestrating the Dynamic Adaptation of Distributed Software with Process Technology

Software systems are becoming increasingly complex to develop, understand, analyze, validate, deploy, configure, manage and maintain. Much of that complexity is related to ensuring adequate quality levels to services provided by software systems after they are deployed in the field, in particular when those systems are built from and operated as a mix of proprietary and non-proprietary components. That translates to increasing costs and difficulties when trying to operate large-scale distributed software ensembles in a way that continuously guarantees satisfactory levels of service. A solution can be to exert some form of dynamic adaptation upon running software systems: dynamic adaptation can be defined as a set of automated and coordinated actions that aim at modifying the structure, behavior and performance of a target software system, at run time and without service interruption, typically in response to the occurrence of some condition(s). To achieve dynamic adaptation upon a given target software system, a set of capabilities, including monitoring, diagnostics, decision, actuation and coordination, must be put in place. This research addresses the automation of decision and coordination in the context of an end-to-end and externalized approach to dynamic adaptation, which allows to address as its targets legacy and component-based systems, as well as new systems developed from scratch. In this approach, adaptation provisions are superimposed by a separate software platform, which operates from the outside of and orthogonally to the target application as a whole; furthermore, a single adaptation possibly spans concerted interventions on a multiplicity of target components. To properly orchestrate those interventions, decentralized process technology is employed for describing, activating and coordinating the work of a cohort of software actuators, towards the intended end-to-end dynamic adaptation. The approach outlined above, has been implemented in a prototype, code-named Workflakes, within the Kinesthetics eXtreme project investigating externalized dynamic adaptation, carried out by the Programming Systems Laboratory of Columbia University, and has been employed in a set of diverse case studies. This dissertation discusses and evaluates the concept of process-based orchestration of dynamic adaptation and the Workflakes prototype on the basis of the results of those case studies

Twenty years of coordination technologies: State-of-the-art and perspectives

Since complexity of inter- and intra-systems interactions is steadily increasing in modern application scenarios (e.g., the IoT), coordination technologies are required to take a crucial step towards maturity. In this paper we look back at the history of the COORDINATION conference in order to shed light on the current status of the coordination technologies there proposed throughout the years, in an attempt to understand success stories, limitations, and possibly reveal the gap between actual technologies, theoretical models, and novel application needs

AuSCL -- Another unified Service Composition Language

Creating software systems by composing already existing reusable software is a vision which has been driving the development of software technologies and paradigms for a long time. By combining visual modelling and service oriented architecture, this thesis proposes a visual language for composition of heterogeneous service, called AuSCL (Another unified Service Composition Language). The thesis presents requirements for service composition in general, and additional requirements introduced by the use of heterogeneous service technologies. Existing visual languages such as UML2 and BPMN has been investigated and evaluated in three case studies. This has lead to a list of potential improvements for UML2 and BPMN which have been used in the design of AuSCL. AuSCL is a UML2 profile, introducing a set of stereotypes to enhance UML2 functionality and a domain specific structure of model views for modelling a heterogeneous service composition from a set of viewpoints. This structure consists of a set of model views and are introduced to narrow the extensive modelling possibilities provided by UML2. The model views are divided into abstract and concrete views, and does also separate between internal and external aspects. AuSCL extends UML2 to support dynamic service selection (service discovery and and runtime selection) for late binding and a consistent way of combinig activities and interactions to model communication. AuSCL is evaluated against the identified requirements and by implementation of the same case studies used in the evaluation of UML2 and BPMN. The evaluation shows that AuSCL is better suited than UML2 and BPMN for visual modelling of heterogeneous service composition for the identified requirements and case studies