The development of enterprise software is a complex activity that requires a diverse set of stakeholders to communicate and coordinate in order to achieve a successful outcome. In this dissertation I introduce a high-level physical architecture for a platform titled FeatureIT that has the goal of supporting the collaboration between stakeholders throughout the entire Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). FeatureIT is the result of unifying the theoretical foundations of the multi-disciplinary field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) with the paradigm and associated technologies of Web 2.0. The architecture was borne out a study of literature in the fields of CSCW, Web 2.0 and software engineering, which facilitated the identification of functional and non-functional requirements necessary for the platform. The design science research methodology was employed to construct this architecture iteratively to satisfy the requirements while validating its efficacy against a comprehensive set of scenarios that typically occur in the SDLC. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

Thesis (MSc) -- Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Software testing tools simplify and automate the menial work associated with testing. Moreover, for complex concurrent software such as computer protocols, testing tools allow testing on an abstract level that is independent of specific implementations. Standard conformance testing methodologies and a number of testing tools are commercially available, but detailed descriptions of the implementation of such testing tools are not widely available. This thesis investigates the development of a tool for automated protocol testing in the ETH Oberon development environment. The need to develop a protocol testing tool that automates the execution of specified test cases was identified in collaboration with a local company that develops protocols in the programming language Oberon. Oberon is a strongly typed secure language that supports modularisation and promotes a readable programming style. The required tool should translate specified test cases into executable test code supported by a runtime environment. A test case consists of a sequence of input actions to which the software under test is expected to respond by executing observable output actions. A number of issues are considered of which the first is concerned with the representation of test case specifications. For this, a notation was used that is basically a subset of the test specification language TTCN-3 as standardised by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. The second issue is the format of executable test cases and a suitable runtime environment. A translator was developed that generates executable Oberon code from specified test cases. The compiled test code is supported by a runtime library, which is part of the tool. Due to the concurrent nature of a protocol environment, concurrent processes in the runtime environment are identified. Since ETH Oberon supports multitasking in a limited sense, test cases are executed as cooperating background tasks. The third issue is concerned with the interaction between an executing test case and a system under test. It is addressed by an implementation dependent interface that maps specified test interactions onto real interactions as required by the test context in which an implementation under test operates. A supporting protocol to access the service boundary of an implementation under test remotely and underlying protocol service providers are part of a test context. The ETH Oberon system provides a platform that simplifies the implementation of protocol test systems, due to its size and simple task mechanism. Operating system functionality considered as essential is pointed out in general terms since other systems could be used to support such testing tools. In conclusion, directions for future work are proposed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toetsstelsels vir programmatuur vereenvoudig en outomatiseer die slaafse werk wat met toetsing assosieer word. 'n Toetsstelsel laat verder toe dat komplekse gelyklopende programmatuur, soos rekenaarprotokolle, op 'n abstrakte vlak getoets word, wat onafhanklik van spesifieke implementasies is. Daar bestaan standaard metodes vir konformeringstoetsing en 'n aantal toetsstelsels is kommersiëel beskikbaar. Uitvoerige beskrywings van die implementering van sulke stelsels is egter nie algemeen beskikbaar nie. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die ontwikkeling van 'n stelsel vir outomatiese toetsing van protokolle in die ontwikkelingsomgewing van ETH Oberon. Die behoefte om 'n protokoltoetsstelsel te ontwikkel, wat die uitvoering van gespesifiseerde toetsgevalle outomatiseer, is geïdentifiseer in oorleg met 'n plaaslike maatskappy wat protokolle ontwikkel in die Oberon programmeertaal. Oberon is 'n sterkgetipeerde taal wat modularisering ondersteun en a leesbare programmeerstyl bevorder. Die toestsstelsel moet gespesifiseerde toetsgevalle vertaal na uitvoerbare toetskode wat ondersteun word deur 'n looptydomgewing. 'n Toetsgeval bestaan uit 'n reeks van toevoeraksies waarop verwag word dat die programmatuur wat getoets word, sal reageer deur die uitvoering van afvoeraksies wat waargeneem kan word. 'n Aantal kwessies word aangeraak, waarvan die eerste te make het met die voorstelling van die spesifikasie van toetsgevalle. Hiervoor is 'n notasie gebruik wat in wese 'n subversameling van die toetsspesifikasietaal TTCN-3 is. TTCN-3 is gestandardiseer deur die European Telecommunications Standards Institute. Die tweede kwessie is die formaat van uitvoerbare toetsgevalle en 'n geskikte looptydomgewing. 'n Vertaler is ontwikkel wat uitvoerbare Oberon-kode genereer vanaf gespesifiseerde toetsgevalle. Die vertaalde toetskode word ondersteun deur 'n biblioteek van looptydfunksies, wat deel van die stelsel is. As gevolg van die eienskap dat 'n protokolomgewing uit gelyklopende prosesse bestaan, word daar verskillende tipes van gelyklopende prosesse in 'n protokoltoetsstelsel geïdentifiseer. Aangesien ETH Oberon 'n beperkte multitaakstelsel is, word toetsgevalle vertaal na eindige outomate wat uitgevoer word as samewerkende agtergrondtake. Die derde kwessie het te make met die interaksie tussen 'n toetsgeval wat uitgevoer word en die stelsel wat getoets word. Dit word aangespreek deur 'n koppelvlak wat gespesifiseerde interaksies afbeeld op werklike interaksies soos vereis deur die konteks waarin 'n implementasie onderworpe aan toetsing uitvoer. 'n Ondersteunende protokolom die dienskoppelvlak van die implementasie oor 'n afstand te bereik en ander onderliggende protokoldienste is deel van 'n toetskonteks. Die ETH Oberon-stelsel help in die vereenvoudiging van die implementasie van protokol toetsstelsels, as gevolg van die stelsel se grootte en die eenvoudige taakhanteerder . Die essensiële funksionaliteit van bedryfsstelsels word uitgelig in algemene terme omdat ander stelsels gebruik kan word om toetsstelsels te ondersteun. Ten slotte word voorstelle vir opvolgwerk gemaak.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Computer-aided verification techniques, such as model checking, are often considered essential to produce highly reliable software systems. Modern model checkers generally require models to be written in eSP-like notations. Unfortunately, such systems are usually implemented using conventional imperative programming languages. Translating the one paradigm into the other is a difficult and error prone process. If one were to program in a process-oriented language from the outset, the chasm between implementation and model could be bridged more readily. This would lead to more accurate models and ultimately more reliable software. This thesis covers the definition of a process-oriented language targeted specifically towards embedded systems and the implementation of a suitable compiler and run-time system. The language, LF, is for the most part an extension of the language Joyce, which was defined by Brinch Hansen. Both LF and Joyce have features which I believe make them easier to use than other esp based languages such as occam. An example of this is a selective communication primitive which allows for both input and output guards which is not supported in occam. The efficiency of the implementation is important. The language was therefore designed to be expressive, but constructs which are expensive to implement were avoided. Security, however, was the overriding consideration in the design of the language and runtime system. The compiler produces native code. Most other esp derived languages are either interpreted or execute as tasks on host operating systems. Arguably this is because most implementations of esp and derivations thereof are for academic purposes only. LF is intended to be an implementation language. The performance of the implementation is evaluated in terms of practical metries such as the time needed to complete communication operations and the average time needed to service an interrupt. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Rekenaar ondersteunde verifikasietegnieke soos programmodellering, is onontbeerlik in die ontwikkeling van hoogs betroubare programmatuur. In die algemeen, aanvaar programme wat modelle toets eSP-agtige notasie as toevoer. Die meeste programme word egter in meer konvensionele imperatiewe programmeertale ontwikkel. Die vertaling vanuit die een paradigma na die ander is 'n moelike proses, wat baie ruimte laat vir foute. Indien daar uit die staanspoor in 'n proses gebaseerde taal geprogrammeer word, sou die verwydering tussen model en program makliker oorbrug kon word. Dit lei tot akkurater modelle en uiteindelik tot betroubaarder programmatuur. Die tesis ondersoek die definisie van 'n proses gebaseerde taal, wat gemik is op ingebedde programmatuur. Verder word die implementasie van 'n toepaslike vertaler en looptyd omgewing ook bespreek. Die taal, LF, is grotendeels gebaseer op Joyce, wat deur Brinch Hansen ontwikkel is. Joyce en op sy beurt LF, is verbeterings op ander esp verwante tale soos occam. 'n Voorbeeld hiervan is 'n selektiewe kommunikasieprimitief wat die gebruik van beide toevoer- en afvoerwagte ondersteun. Omdat 'n effektiewe implementasie nagestreef word, is die taalontwerp om so nadruklik moontlik te wees, sonder om strukture in te sluit wat oneffektief is om te implementeer. Sekuriteit was egter die oorheersende oorweging in die ontwerp van die taal en looptyd omgewing. Die vertaler lewer masjienkode, terwyl die meeste ander implementasies van eSP-agtige tale geinterpreteer word of ondersteun word as prosesse op 'n geskikte bedryfstelsel- die meeste eSP-agtige tale word slegs vir akademiese doeleindes aangewend. LF is by uitstek ontwerp as implementasie taal. Die evaluasie van die stelsel se werkverrigting is gedoen aan die hand van praktiese maatstawwe soos die tyd wat benodig word vir kommunikasie, sowel as die gemiddelde tyd benodig vir die hantering van onderbrekings.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the new features and enhancements of Windows Server 2003. Windows NT and Windows 2000 were known to have numerous security vulnerabilities; hence Microsoft focused on improving security by making Windows Server 2003 "secure by design, secure by default, secure in deployment." This thesis examines the differences between the five unique editions of the Windows Server 2003 family. Some of the pros and cons of migrating to Windows Server 2003 are highlighted. The author hopes this study will assist information technology professionals with their decision on whether or not to upgrade to this latest version of Microsoft's flagship network operating system. / Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / While a necessity of all operating systems, the code that initializes a system can be notoriously difficult to understand. This thesis explores the most common architectures used for bringing an operating system to its initial state, once the operating system gains control from the boot loader. Specifically, the ways in which the OpenBSD and Linux operating systems handle initialization are dissected. With this understanding, a set of threats relevant to the initialization sequence was developed. A thorough study was also made to determine the degree to which initialization code adheres to widely accepted software engineering principles. Based upon this threat analysis and the observed strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, a set of recommendations for initialization sequence architecture and implementation have been developed. These recommendations can serve as a guide for future operating system development. / Civilian, Naval Postgraduate School

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING / Includes bibliographical references. / by David Lui. / B.S.

The reliability of RFID systems depends on a number of factors including: RF interference, deployment environment, configuration of the readers, and placement of readers and tags. While RFID technology is improving rapidly, a reliable deployment of this technology is still a significant challenge impeding wide-spread adoption. This research investigates system software solutions for achieving a highly reliable deployment that mitigates inherent unreliability in RFID technology. We have considered two different problem domains for large scale RFID deployment. One is item tracking and the other is guidance-monitoring. Item tracking considers applications that have statically placed RFID readers to observe the RFID tagged objects in motion. An airport scenario to observe the tagged baggage or warehouse scenarios to track the tagged goods are examples of item tracking applications. A self guided tour, search and rescue scenario or a visually impaired person looking for direction and guidance in a tagged environment are examples of item location applications. It is observed that there is a notion of path that follows the direction and flow of the mobile items in the item tracking applications and a path gets created along the direction and flow of the mobile object in item location applications. A system level knowledge of the data flow can benefit the system in different aspects such as improved reliability, resource management and real time response. We have designed and implemented an RFID middleware for item tracking: RF²ID (Reliable Framework for Radio Frequency Identification) to organize and support queries over data streams in an efficient manner. We have developed (1) a virtual reader abstraction to improve the potentially error-prone nature of reader generated data (2) a novel path abstraction to capture the logical flow of information among virtual readers. Prototype implementation using both RFID readers and simulated readers using an empirical model of RFID readers show that RF²ID is able to provide high reliability, support path-based object detection and use efficient resource management techniques. We propose a middleware solution that takes into account the data flow information for item location application that requires real time response. The guidance-monitoring scenario considers mobile RFID readers that traverse in a tagged environment. We consider the scenario of an Assisted Living Center for elderly residents as a motivating guidance-monitoring application. The solution for guidance-monitoring system is called GuardianAngel. The application scenario considers a tagged indoor environment with residents having their own RFID readers to provide them with adequate information about the surroundings. The guidance and monitoring requirement can be conflicting. The guidance information requires very fine grain information about the environment to make proper decisions. On the other hand, the monitoring system must not have a fine grain knowledge which can introduce concerns such as privacy concerns. We consider this aspect during the design and implementation. The system is a two layered infrastructure that has the upper layer which is the monitoring layer. This layer is in charge of monitoring of the actors in the environment. The monitoring layer is physically a set of distributed virtual stations that have the knowledge about the environment. The environment itself is equipped with RFID tags. The residents of the environment have the mobile object that has a sensing element and a computing element (e.g., handhold device with a portable RFID reader) - the guidance server runs on this mobile object. The guidance server is in charge of making local decisions to the users. It is resource limited and asks for new information from the virtual stations as needed. The guidance server also provides the monitoring server with the information regarding the status of the mobile object. But the status information is not fine grain information - the guidance server wraps up the information over a period of time and over a larger region to hide the detailed information of the users.The system uses the logical path based abstraction to guide the users. We have implemented the real testbed using grid structured RFID devices along with scalability study using emulated RFID readers. The basic contribution of our work is based on providing novel middleware solution that is able to serve the application taking into account the inherent unreliability of RFID technology. Our path abstraction that uses the physical flow of data as an ally to generate a logical system level flow enhances the performance in many ways.

Consumer technology adoption into large enterprise environments is occurring at an unprecedented rate. Employees require the flexibility and efficiency of using operating systems, computers, and mobility products they are familiar with and that enable their productivity. Due to this industry phenomenon, one large shipping enterprise must work to create solutions to integrate Apple’s OS X operating system into its traditional Windows-based operating environment. This level of integration must take place carefully to enable usability and foster the continued data security of enterprise assets. This paper describes the steps and methodology taken, as well as the rationale used, to accomplish the task of integrating Apple’s FileVault 2 full disk encryption technology into existing McAfee management infrastructure and traditional deployment and support workflows. Using a combination of industry and community solutions and techniques, a low-cost software solution named EscrowToEPO is created to facilitate the secure and user-friendly adoption of FileVault 2 as a full disk encryption solution. This paper also includes the success/failure rate of adoption and implications as to how the adoption of similar solutions can occur to support future operating systems or other environments.

This thesis describes a new method of constructing a real-time interactive software system for a minicomputer to enable the interactive facilities to be extended and improved in a multitasking environment which supports structured programming concepts. A memory management technique called Software Virtual Memory Management, which is implemented entirely in software, is used to extend the concept of hardware virtual memory management. This extension unifies the concepts of memory space allocation and control and of file system management, resulting in a system which is simple and safe for the application oriented user. The memory management structures are also used to provide exceptional protection facilities. A number of users can work interactively, using a high-level structured language in a multi-tasking environ=ment, with very secure access to shared data bases. A system is described which illustrates these concepts. This system is implemented using an interpreter and significant improvements in the performance of interpretive systems are shown to be possible using the structures presented. The system has been implemented on a Varian minicomputer as well as on a microprogrammable micro= processor. The virtual memory technique has been shown to work with a variety of bulk storage devices and should be particularly suitable for use with recent bulk storage developments such as bubble memory and charge coupled devices. A detailed comparison of the performance of the system vis-a-vis that of a FORTRAN based system executing in-line code with swapping has been performed by means of a process control Case study. These measurements show that an interpretive system using this new memory management technique can have a performance which is comparable to or better than a compiler. oriented system. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, 1978.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2008. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.