Towards run-time monitoring of web services conformance to business-level agreements

Web service behaviour is currently specified in a mixture of ways, often using methods that are only partially complete. These range from static functional specifications, based on interfaces in WSDL and preconditions in RIF, to business process simulations using executable process-based models such as BPEL, to detailed quality of service (QoS) agreements laid down in a service level agreement (SLA). This paper recognises that something similar to a SLA is required at the higher business level to govern the contract between service producers, brokers and consumers. We call this a business level agreement (BLA) and within this framework, seek to unify disparate aspects of functional specification, QoS and run-time verification. We propose that the method for validating a web service with respect to its advertised BLA should be based on run-time service monitoring. This is a position paper towards defining these goals

Exploring quality-aware architectural transformations at run-time: the ENIA case

Adapting software systems at run-time is a key issue, especially when these systems consist of components used as intermediary for human-computer interaction. In this sense, model transformation techniques have a widespread acceptance as a mechanism for adapting and evolving the software architecture of such systems. However, existing model transformations often focus on functional requirements, and quality attributes are only manually considered after the transformations are done. This paper aims to improve the quality of adaptations and evolutions in component-based software systems by taking into account quality attributes within the model transformation process. To this end, we present a quality-aware transformation process using software architecture metrics to select among many alternative model transformations. Such metrics evaluate the quality attributes of an architecture. We validate the presented quality-aware transformation process in ENIA, a geographic information system whose user interfaces are based on coarsegrained components and need to be adapted at run-time

The Bolivian Decentralization Process and the Role of Municipal Associations

This discussion paper looks at the Bolivian decentralization model. The objective of Bolivian decentralization is to consolidate the process of popular participation, and to promote regional economic development by means of a more equitable distribution of national income and improved administration of public resources. The legal framework of Bolivian decentralization is established by two principled laws; firstly, the LPP, defines decentralization on the municipal level and represents a new dimension of governmental reform, creating an important link between the state and civil society. Second, the Law of Administrative decentralization (LAD-adm) organizes the structure of the executive power in each Department so as to underpin administrative decentralization. Overall the decentralization process in Bolivia can be seen as an important step towards restructuring the old centralized state into a more democratic one. However, as the social uprising and protests which took place in October 2003 show, the decentralization laws alone didn?t solve the economic and social problems in Bolivia

Identification of Comparison Key Elements and Their Relationships for Cloud Service Selection

International audienceNowadays, the cloud computing industry is enjoying an exponential growth, where several cloud service providers compete to be one of the market leaders. Usually, providers offering similar services use different non-functional attributes to describe them. Thus, given the heterogeneity and diversity of services descriptions, the selection process of the appropriate cloud service becomes challenging. Architects no longer know what criteria to use to make the suitable cloud services selection. In this paper, we highlight the challenge of identifying key elements of comparisons and their relationship for selecting cloud services. Further, we propose a methodology to solve this issue based on real data available from service providers and benchmark work. Our methodology is validated based on two case studies of cloud relational databases and cloud queuing services

A goal-oriented approach for optimizing non-functional requirements in web applications

Web design methodologies should be able to provide a requirements analysis stage to consider the large and heterogeneous audience of Web applications. In this stage, non-functional requirements (NFRs) should be addressed in order to improve the quality of the Web application perceived by users. To this aim, different configurations of requirements could be implemented depending on the NFRs preferred by the Web user. Furthermore, prioritizing and making tradeoffs between NFRs is crucial for satisfying the audience of Web applications. Therefore, this work presents an algorithm based on the Pareto optimal approach to evaluate and select the optimal configuration of requirements for a Web application. To do this, the NFRs are maximized according to a priority list provided by the audience. Our approach is illustrated with a running example.This work has been partially supported by the MANTRA project (GV/2011/035) from the University of Alicante, and by the MESOLAP (TIN2010-14860) from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. José Alfonso Aguilar is subventioned by CONACYT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) Mexico and University of Sinaloa, Mexico

The RISCOSS Platform for Risk Management in Open Source Software Adoption

Part 4: Adoption, Use, and ImpactInternational audienceManaging risks related to OSS adoption is a must for organizations that need to smoothly integrate OSS-related practices in their development processes. Adequate tool support may pave the road to effective risk management and ensure the sustainability of such activity. In this paper, we present the RISCOSS platform for managing risks in OSS adoption. RISCOSS builds upon a highly configurable data model that allows customization to several types of scopes. It implements two different working modes: exploration, where the impact of decisions may be assessed before making them; and continuous assessment, where risk variables (and their possible consequences on business goals) are continuously monitored and reported to decision-makers. The blackboard-oriented architecture of the platform defines several interfaces for the identified techniques, allowing new techniques to be plugged in