Model Driven Middleware: A New Paradigm for Developing and Provisioning Distributed Real-time and Embedded Applications ?

Abstract

Distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) applications have become critical in domains such as avionics (e.g., flight mission computers), telecommunications (e.g., wireless phone services), tele-medicine (e.g., robotic surgery), and defense applications (e.g., total ship computing environments). DRE applications are increasingly composed of multiple systems that are interconnected via wireless and wireline networks to form systems of systems. A challenging requirement for DRE applications involves supporting a diverse set of quality of service (QoS) properties, such as predictable latency/jitter, throughput guarantees, scalability, 24x7 availability, dependability, and security that must be satisfied simultaneously in real-time. Although a growing number of DRE applications are based on QoS-enabled commercial-o#-theshelf (COTS) hardware and software components, the complexity of managing long lifecycles (often years) remains a key challenge for DRE application developers. For example, substantial time and e#ort is spent retrofitting DRE applications when their COTS technology infrastructure changes.