Goal-driven adaptation of internetware

Abstract

Software Systems running in the Internet are facing an ever-changing environment, which requires constant monitoring and adaptation facilities to be in place, so that user's needs and system requirements are satisfied on-demand. This paper summarizes our general observation and understanding to how user and system goals can drive the adaptation mechanisms of individual software service modules, implemented as internetware components. In particular, a theoretical typology of different levels of adaptation capability is proposed. Their correspondence with the key characteristics of internetware is analyzed. A common architecture to support the run-time adaptation of internetware is also suggested in company with a development method.