Proof-of-Concept Application - Annual Report Year 1

In this document the Cat-COVITE Application for use in the CATNETS Project is introduced and motivated. Furthermore an introduction to the catallactic middleware and Web Services Agreement (WS-Agreement) concepts is given as a basis for the future work. Requirements for the application of Cat-COVITE with in catallactic systems are analysed. Finally the integration of the Cat-COVITE application and the catallactic middleware is described. --Grid Computing

Weaving aspects into web service orchestrations

Web Service orchestration engines need to be more open to enable the addition of new behaviours into service-based applications. In this paper, we illus- trate how, in a BPEL engine with aspect-weaving ca- pabilities, a process-driven application based on the Google Web Service can be dynamically adapted with new behaviours and hot-fixed to meet unforeseen post- deployment requirements. Business processes (the ap- plication skeletons) can be enriched with additional fea- tures such as debugging, execution monitoring, or an application-specific GUI. Dynamic aspects are also used on the processes themselves to tackle the problem of hot-fixes to long running processes. In this manner, composing a Web Service ’on-the-fly’ means weaving its choreography in- terface into the business process

Semantic-driven matchmaking of web services using case-based reasoning

With the rapid proliferation of Web services as the medium of choice to securely publish application services beyond the firewall, the importance of accurate, yet flexible matchmaking of similar services gains importance both for the human user and for dynamic composition engines. In this paper, we present a novel approach that utilizes the case based reasoning methodology for modelling dynamic Web service discovery and matchmaking. Our framework considers Web services execution experiences in the decision making process and is highly adaptable to the service requester constraints. The framework also utilises OWL semantic descriptions extensively for implementing both the components of the CBR engine and the matchmaking profile of the Web services

Analysis of current middleware used in peer-to-peer and grid implementations for enhancement by catallactic mechanisms

This deliverable describes the work done in task 3.1, Middleware analysis: Analysis of current middleware used in peer-to-peer and grid implementations for enhancement by catallactic mechanisms from work package 3, Middleware Implementation. The document is divided in four parts: The introduction with application scenarios and middleware requirements, Catnets middleware architecture, evaluation of existing middleware toolkits, and conclusions. -- Die Arbeit definiert Anforderungen an Grid und Peer-to-Peer Middleware Architekturen und analysiert diese auf ihre Eignung für die prototypische Umsetzung der Katallaxie. Eine Middleware-Architektur für die Umsetzung der Katallaxie in Application Layer Netzwerken wird vorgestellt.Grid Computing

A Taxonomy of Workflow Management Systems for Grid Computing

With the advent of Grid and application technologies, scientists and engineers are building more and more complex applications to manage and process large data sets, and execute scientific experiments on distributed resources. Such application scenarios require means for composing and executing complex workflows. Therefore, many efforts have been made towards the development of workflow management systems for Grid computing. In this paper, we propose a taxonomy that characterizes and classifies various approaches for building and executing workflows on Grids. We also survey several representative Grid workflow systems developed by various projects world-wide to demonstrate the comprehensiveness of the taxonomy. The taxonomy not only highlights the design and engineering similarities and differences of state-of-the-art in Grid workflow systems, but also identifies the areas that need further research.Comment: 29 pages, 15 figure

Research on key techniques of flexible workflow based approach to supporting dynamic engineering design process

Error on title page - correct year of award is 2015 not 2013.Engineering design process (EDP) is a highly dynamic and creative process, and the capability in managing an EDP is considered as a major differentiating factor between competing enterprises. The most important prerequisite to establish an engineering design process excellence is a proper management of all the design process activities and the associated information. The most important impact in recent years on the EDP and on the activities of designers has come from computer-based data processing. Workflow, the automation of a business processes in whole or part, is a useful tool for modelling and managing a business process which can be reprensented by a workflow model (computerized process definition). By considering the dynamic characteristics of EDP, an EDP management system must be flexible enough to support the creative and dynamic EDP. After the introduction of engineering design process and its new trend, as well as flexible workflow technology, reviews of both engineering design process and its supporting flexible workflow technology shows that there is a need for a holistic framework to automate and coordinate design activities in the creative and dynamic EDP, and the flexible workflow technology should also be improved comprehensively in flexibility and intelligence in order to support better engineering design management. By introducing the relations between the EDP and flexible workflow, a virtual workflow and an autonomic flexible workflow built upon autonomic computing is investigated, and an innovative engineering design process management framework based on multi-autonomic objects flexible workflow is proposed. For the flexible workflow modelling in the framework, a dynamic instance-based flexible workflow modelling method is proposed for multi-autonomic objects flexible workflow. In order to improve the intelligence of flexible workflow, after examining the principle of flexible workflow intelligence in flexible workflow, a new flexible workflow autonomic object intelligence algorithm based on both extended Mamdani fuzzy reasoning and neural network is proposed, weighted fuzzy reasoning algorithm, as well as precise and fuzzy hybrid knowledge reasoning algorithm is designed; a bionic flexible workflow adaptation algorithm is proposed to improve the intelligence of autonomic object flexible workflow further. According to the characteristic of EDP, such as cross-enterprises and geographical distribution, and in order to realize the flexible execution of distributed flexible workflow engine, a distributed flexible workflow engine architecture based on web service is proposed and a flexible workflow model description method based on extended WSDL (Web Service Description Language) and BPEL4WS (Business Process Execution Language for Web Services) is proposed. A flexible workflow prototype system supporting engineering design process is implemented according to the proposed EDP management framework in Microsoft VS.Net 2005 environment. The framework is demonstrated by the application in an EDP of a MTO company, and it shows that the proposed framework can support the creative and dynamic process in an efficient way. Finally, the strengths and weakness of the framework as well as the prototype system is discussed based on the results of the evaluation, and the proposed areas of future work are given.Engineering design process (EDP) is a highly dynamic and creative process, and the capability in managing an EDP is considered as a major differentiating factor between competing enterprises. The most important prerequisite to establish an engineering design process excellence is a proper management of all the design process activities and the associated information. The most important impact in recent years on the EDP and on the activities of designers has come from computer-based data processing. Workflow, the automation of a business processes in whole or part, is a useful tool for modelling and managing a business process which can be reprensented by a workflow model (computerized process definition). By considering the dynamic characteristics of EDP, an EDP management system must be flexible enough to support the creative and dynamic EDP. After the introduction of engineering design process and its new trend, as well as flexible workflow technology, reviews of both engineering design process and its supporting flexible workflow technology shows that there is a need for a holistic framework to automate and coordinate design activities in the creative and dynamic EDP, and the flexible workflow technology should also be improved comprehensively in flexibility and intelligence in order to support better engineering design management. By introducing the relations between the EDP and flexible workflow, a virtual workflow and an autonomic flexible workflow built upon autonomic computing is investigated, and an innovative engineering design process management framework based on multi-autonomic objects flexible workflow is proposed. For the flexible workflow modelling in the framework, a dynamic instance-based flexible workflow modelling method is proposed for multi-autonomic objects flexible workflow. In order to improve the intelligence of flexible workflow, after examining the principle of flexible workflow intelligence in flexible workflow, a new flexible workflow autonomic object intelligence algorithm based on both extended Mamdani fuzzy reasoning and neural network is proposed, weighted fuzzy reasoning algorithm, as well as precise and fuzzy hybrid knowledge reasoning algorithm is designed; a bionic flexible workflow adaptation algorithm is proposed to improve the intelligence of autonomic object flexible workflow further. According to the characteristic of EDP, such as cross-enterprises and geographical distribution, and in order to realize the flexible execution of distributed flexible workflow engine, a distributed flexible workflow engine architecture based on web service is proposed and a flexible workflow model description method based on extended WSDL (Web Service Description Language) and BPEL4WS (Business Process Execution Language for Web Services) is proposed. A flexible workflow prototype system supporting engineering design process is implemented according to the proposed EDP management framework in Microsoft VS.Net 2005 environment. The framework is demonstrated by the application in an EDP of a MTO company, and it shows that the proposed framework can support the creative and dynamic process in an efficient way. Finally, the strengths and weakness of the framework as well as the prototype system is discussed based on the results of the evaluation, and the proposed areas of future work are given

Towards an aspect weaving BPEL engine

This position paper proposes the use of dynamic aspects and the visitor design pattern to obtain a highly configurable and extensible BPEL engine. Using these two techniques, the core of this infrastructural software can be customised to meet new requirements and add features such as debugging, execution monitoring, or changing to another Web Service selection policy. Additionally, it can easily be extended to cope with customer-specific BPEL extensions. We propose the use of dynamic aspects not only on the engine itself but also on the workflow in order to tackle the problems of Web Service hot deployment and hot fixes to long running processes. In this way, composing aWeb Service "on-the-fly" means weaving its choreography interface into the workflow

Tools and Processes for enhanced Product Customization

O fornecimento de um sistema personalizável permite que clientes e parceiros expandam as funcionalidades do produto para abranger as suas necessidades e os seus objetivos específicos. Mas as alterações ou adições de funcionalidades ao sistema-base requerem um profundo conhecimento da sua estrutura e do seu funcionamento, assim como competências técnicas que garantam alterações totalmente funcionais. Com o intuito de minimizar as dificuldades inerentes ao processo de desenvolvimento e teste destas customizações, os fornecedores de software disponibilizam ferramentas e documentação de suporte.O principal foco do presente trabalho consiste na análise de projetos de customização, suas ferramentas e documentação de suporte ao desenvolvimento, para a resolução ou minimização das dificuldades e problemas do processo de customização. Através da definição de uma estratégia de suporte à customização que propõe a extracção de conhecimento como forma de documentação orientada pelos conceitos dos Collective Knowledge Systems. E uma ferramenta que aumenta a simplicidade e a fiabilidade do processo apresentando de uma forma intuitiva ao utilizador a análise do código produzida pelo compilador.O presente trabalho contempla ainda a implementação dessa estratégia de suporte ao processo de customização do Manufacturing Execution System (MES) da Critical Manufacturing (CMF), com vista a validar a sua eficácia.O Critical Manufacturing MES é um sistema de informação personalizável que realiza a gestão das operações em ambientes avançados de fabricação garantindo um elevado desempenho e competitividade. A CMF garante a personalização do sistema para corresponder aos requisitos dos clientes e parceiros, mas a complexidade inerente à oferta de um sistema completo e competitivo implica uma estratégia de apoio à customização que garanta um processo simples, rápido e fiável.Os resultados esperados para o presente trabalho, e consequentes da definição de uma estratégia de apoio à customização de software são: (1) uma ferramenta e documentação de apoio que orientem os clientes e parceiros no seu processo de customização e (2), um aumento da confiança e eficiência dos clientes e parceiros no desenvolvimento das suas personalizações através de um processo mais rápido e fiável. A estratégia de apoio à customização definida procura ser a mais abrangente e genérica possível de forma a facilitar a sua adoção por outras entidades.Providing a customizable system allows customers and partners to expand product functionality to meet their specific needs and goals. But the changes or additions of functionalities to the base system require a deep knowledge of its structure and functionality, as well as technical skills that ensure fully functional modifications. In order to minimize the inherent difficulties of the development and testing process of these customizations, software suppliers provide support tools and documentation.The main focus of the present work is the analysis of customization projects, their support tools and documentation, to solve or minimize the customization process difficulties and problems. Through the definition of a customization support strategy that proposes knowledge extraction as a kind of documentation guided by the Collective Knowledge Systems concepts. And a tool that improves the process simplicity and reliability due to displaying intuitively the compilers code analysis to the user. The present work also covers the implementation of this support strategy to the process of customization of the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) of Critical Manufacturing (CMF), in order to validate its effectiveness.Critical Manufacturing MES is a customizable information system that performs operations management in advanced manufacturing environments while ensuring high performance and competitiveness. CMF provides system customizations to meet customer and partner requirements, but the inherent complexity in offering a complete and competitive system implies a customization support strategy that ensures a simple, fast and reliable process.The expected results for the present work, and following the definition of a software customization support strategy are: (1) a tool and documentation that support and guide customers and partners in their customization process, and (2) an increase in the confidence and efficiency of customers and partners on the development of their customizations through a more rapid and efficient process. The customization support strategy seeks to be as comprehensive and generic as possible to facilitate its adoption by other entities