The increasing use of model-driven software development has renewed emphasis on using domain-specific models during application development. More specifically, there has been emphasis on using domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) to capture user-specified requirements when creating applications. The current approach to realizing these applications is to translate DSML models into source code using several model-to-model and model-to-code transformations. This approach is still dependent on the underlying source code representation and only raises the level of abstraction during development. Experience has shown that developers will many times be required to manually modify the generated source code, which can be error-prone and time consuming. An alternative to the aforementioned approach involves using an interpreted domain-specific modeling language (i-DSML) whose models can be directly executed using a Domain Specific Virtual Machine (DSVM). Direct execution of i-DSML models require a semantically rich platform that reduces the gap between the application models and the underlying services required to realize the application. One layer in this platform is the domain-specific middleware that is responsible for the management and delivery of services in the specific domain. In this dissertation, we investigated the problem of designing the domain-specific middleware of the DSVM to facilitate the bifurcation of the semantics of the domain and the model of execution (MoE) while supporting runtime adaptation and validation. We approached our investigation by seeking solutions to the following sub-problems: (1) How can the domain-specific knowledge (DSK) semantics be separated from the MoE for a given domain? (2) How do we define a generic model of execution (GMoE) of the middleware so that it is adaptable and realizes DSK operations to support delivery of services? (3) How do we validate the realization of DSK operations at runtime? Our research into the domain-specific middleware was done using an i-DSML for the user-centric communication domain, Communication Modeling Language (CML), and for microgrid energy management domain, Microgrid Modeling Language (MGridML). We have successfully developed a methodology to separate the DSK and GMoE of the middleware of a DSVM that supports specialization for a given domain, and is able to perform adaptation and validation at runtime.

This thesis deals with the integration of ICT services at the technological level. It mainly focuses on the integration of services which are provided by third parties and a user cannot change them. In this work are described the characteristics of web services and the typical methods for designing their application interface. Furthermore, are described various approaches to integration of applications at the technological level and some integration tools. As part of this thesis, was also created an application designed for integration of web services. This application can be categorized as message-oriented middleware. The aim was to create a simple application, which still meets basic requirements for this kind of applications. This thesis also contains a description of the created application and a description of problems that occurred during implementation. During the application development were used some integration design patterns, which are also described in this thesis.

This dissertation discusses a software application development framework. The framework supports developing software applications within the context of Joint Command and Control, which includes interoperability with network-centric systems as well as interoperability with existing legacy systems. The next generation of Command and Control systems are expected to be built on common architectures or enterprise middleware. Enterprise middleware does however not directly address integration with legacy Command and Control systems nor does it address integration with existing and future tactical systems like fighter aircraft. The software framework discussed in this dissertation enables existing legacy systems and tactical systems to interoperate with each other; it enables interoperability with the Command and Control enterprise; and it also enables simulated systems to be deployed within a real environment. The framework does all of this through a unique distributed architecture. The architecture supports both system interoperability and the simulation of systems and equipment within the context of Command and Control. This hybrid approach is the key to the success of the framework. There is a strong focus on the quality of the framework and the current implementation has already been successfully applied within the Command and Control environment. The current framework implementation is also supplied on a DVD with this dissertation. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted

Diese Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über das Spektrum der Enterprise Application Integration. Dazu werden die Grundlagen des E-Business erläutert, um die Notwendigkeit der Integration aufzuzeigen. Eine Aufstellung der verschiedenen Datenformate gibt Aufschluss über die Entwicklungen und die verschiedenen Standards. In dem Abschnitt Middleware werden die technischen Grundlagen einer möglichen Integration erläutert. Besonders wird dabei auf JMS eingegangen, das in der praktischen Anwendung genutzt wurde. Die Frameworks bilden ein umfassendes Mittel zur Integration von Applikationen, deswegen werden sie abschließend vorgestellt. Dabei wird J2EE und das neue von Microsoft propagierte .NET präsentiert. Die Problematik bei der Implementierung wird anhand des Praxis Beispiels herausgearbeitet. Als Verbindung diente SonicMQ, der JMS Broker von Progress.

The advances in mobile telecommunication networks as well as in mobile device technology have stimulated the development of a wide range of mobile applications. While it is sensible to install at least some components of applications on mobile devices to gain independence of rather unreliable mobile network connections, it is difficult to decide about the suitable application components and the amount of data to be provided. Because the environment of a mobile device can change and mobile business processes evolve over time, the mobile system should adapt to these changes dynamically to ensure productivity. In this paper, we present a mobile middleware that targets typical problems of mobile applications and dynamically adapts to context changes at runtime by utilizing reconfiguration triggers.

The increase of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 led to many interconnections in the control systems. IIoT has begun its evolution and development in the scientific community and industrial application field. As communication between IIoT devices and other equipment needs to be implemented through the network, it is necessary to provide reliable and straightforward data transmission. This thesis investigates how to develop a middleware that provides connectivity between specific industrial environments. Particularly, a prototype design is created to connect an industrial controller with information of interest using the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol. We set up experiments to evaluate the features of the implemented prototype. The experiment examines the effect of the developed prototype's end-to-end response time and scalability characteristics by receiving a different number of messages from the stimulator. By measuring the end-to-end response time, the experiment showed that in the case of many input/output (I/O) signals arriving in the connectivity service, the implemented prototype is well scaled under examined circumstances. Observing the results, the middleware prototype gave acceptable results in terms of response time. Also, it gave us a picture of how different network settings can cause a difference in estimating the end-to-end response time of a message.

In almost each enterprise there is a software support for business processes. With a growing number of the applications there is an increasing demand to integrate those applications in order to have an effectively working environment, which generates profit. In enterprise applications integration there are few principles, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. However, the message-oriented middleware layer proves to be the best solution to many integration scenarios. This work deals with an enterprise of applications running on multifunction embedded office devices based on Java ME platform, and introduces an in-house developed communication middleware layer to integrate those applications. The resulting software component applies principles of messaging in a printing management SOA environment to communicate with a print server using a designed set of messages.

This study considers software techniques for improving performance on clusters of workstations and approaches for designing message-passing middleware that facilitate scalable, parallel processing. Early binding and overlapping of communication and computation are identified as fundamental approaches for improving parallel performance and scalability on clusters. Currently, cluster computers using the Message-Passing Interface for interprocess communication are the predominant choice for building high-performance computing facilities, which makes the findings of this work relevant to a wide audience from the areas of high-performance computing and parallel processing. The performance-enhancing techniques studied in this work are presently underutilized in practice because of the lack of adequate support by existing message-passing libraries and are also rarely considered by parallel algorithm designers. Furthermore, commonly accepted methods for performance analysis and evaluation of parallel systems omit these techniques and focus primarily on more obvious communication characteristics such as latency and bandwidth. This study provides a theoretical framework for describing early binding and overlapping of communication and computation in models for parallel programming. This framework defines four new performance metrics that facilitate new approaches for performance analysis of parallel systems and algorithms. This dissertation provides experimental data that validate the correctness and accuracy of the performance analysis based on the new framework. The theoretical results of this performance analysis can be used by designers of parallel system and application software for assessing the quality of their implementations and for predicting the effective performance benefits of early binding and overlapping. This work presents MPI/Pro, a new MPI implementation that is specifically optimized for clusters of workstations interconnected with high-speed networks. This MPI implementation emphasizes features such as persistent communication, asynchronous processing, low processor overhead, and independent message progress. These features are identified as critical for delivering maximum performance to applications. The experimental section of this dissertation demonstrates the capability of MPI/Pro to facilitate software techniques that result in significant application performance improvements. Specific demonstrations with Virtual Interface Architecture and TCP/IP over Ethernet are offered.

No description available.

The appropriate framework to capture and share location information with mobile applications enable the development of interfaces and interface techniques that empower users to obtain and share information on the go. As such, the work in this thesis makes two major contributions. First is the SeeVT framework, a locative backbone that uses currently-available data and equipment in the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg VA environments (e.g., wireless signal triangulation, GPS signals) to make available to applications the location of the device in use. Applications built on this framework have available knowledge of the region in which the user's device is located. Second is a set of four applications built on the SeeVT framework: SeeVT – Alumni Edition (a guide for alumni returning to campus, often after lengthy absences), the Newman Project (a library information system for finding books and other library resources), VTAssist (a information sharing system for disabled users), and SeeVT-Art (a guide for users in our local inn and conference center to learn about the art on display). Key in this contribution is our identification and discussion of three interface techniques that emerged from our development efforts: an images-first presentation of information, a lightweight mobile augmented reality style of interaction, and locative content affordances that provide ways to quickly input focused types of information in mobile situations. / Master of Science