Toward an approach to deploy adaptation mechanisms in service-based applications

Abstract

Service-based applications need to support adaptation for encountering complexity and dynamicity of their executive environment and context. Some of important concerns for supporting adaptation in service-based applications are related to implementation level (low level) of adaptation. At implementation level of adaptation, there are two open important problems. First, it is necessary to realize adaptation mechanisms by their strategies, tactics and techniques. Second, these mechanisms must be integrated into running process via a holistic method. Consequently in this paper, a comprehensive adaptation mechanisms' schema offered which presents a universal set of adaptation tactics for realizing adaptation strategies and also, a suitable approach proposed that deploys these strategies and tactics. In this approach, reconfiguration of process is optimized or achieved at run-time based on specific environment and available services. In order to assess proposed approach, the case study of urban crisis management is implemented. In this case study, a subset of adaptation mechanisms is deployed regarding proposed approach. The results of the evaluation show that adaptation mechanisms have been deployed successfully. Also, quality attributes of adaptive process are adjusted to encounter unexpected events. In addition, strategies' overhead is computed.