Middleware augments operating systems and network infrastructure to assist in the creation of distributed applications in a heterogeneous environment. Current middleware systems exhibit some or all of the following five main problems: 1. Decisions must be made early in the design process. 2. Applications are inflexible to dynamic changes in their distribution. 3. Application development is complex and error-prone. 4. Existing systems force an unnatural encoding of application-level semantics. 5. Approaches to the specification of distribution policy are limited. This thesis defines a taxonomy of existing middleware systems and describes their limitations. The requirements that must be met by a third generation middleware system are defined and implemented by a system called the RAFDA Run-Time (RRT). The RRT allows control over the extent to which inter-address-space communication is exposed to programmers, aiding the creation, maintenance and evolution of distributed applications. The RRT permits the introduction of distribution into applications quickly and with minimal programmer effort, allowing for quick application prototyping. Programmers can conceal or expose the distributed nature of applications as required. The RRT allows instances of arbitrary application classes to be exposed to remote access as Web Services, provides control over the parameter-passing semantics applied to remote method calls and permits the creation of flexible distribution policies. The design of the RRT is described and evaluated qualitatively in the context of a case study based around the implementation of a peer-to-peer overlay network. A prototype implementation of the RRT is examined and evaluated quantitatively. Programmers determine the trade off between flexibility and simplicity offered by the RRT on a per-application basis, by concealing or exposing inter-address-space communication. The RRT is a middleware system that adapts to the needs of applications, rather than forcing distributed applications to adapt to the needs of the middleware system.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:551956 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Walker, Scott Mervyn |
| Contributors | Dearle, Al; Kirby, Graham |
| Publisher | University of St Andrews |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/10023/154 |
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