Towards a synthesis of dynamic architecture event languages

Abstract

Self-healing systems generally require reflective models of their own operation to determine what aspects of themselves they can change to effect repair. Architecture models are examples of rather simple models to which health information can be attached and reasoned about, e.g. attaching system state to a process or tracking events across connectors. These models are especially useful when the architecture of the system varies while the system is running, in so-called "dynamic architectures."DARPA's DASADA program is developing an architecture-based infrastructure for self-healing, self-adapting systems. Herein several protocols for dynamic architecture change notification from that program are examined in search of a community standard for such a protocol. Desirable properties of such protocols are suggested based in part on how much constraint checking will be used to proscribe dynamic architecture building activity. Points for discussion are raised.