A Taxonomy of Compositional Adaptation

by P. K. McKinley, S. M. Sadjadi, E. P. Kasten, B. H. C. Cheng


Abstract
Driven by the emergence of pervasive computing and the increasing need for self-managed systems, many approaches have been proposed for building software that can dynamically adapt to its environment.  These adaptations involve not only changes in program flow, but also run-time recomposition of the software itself.  We discuss the supporting technologies that enable dynamic recomposition and classify different approaches according to how, when and where recomposition occurs.  We also highlight key challenges that need to be addressed to realize the full potential of run-time adaptable software.

A concise version of this paper was published in IEEE Computer as follows:
" Composing Adaptive Software," P. K. McKinley, S. M. Sadjadi, E. P. Kasten, and B. H. C. Cheng, IEEE Computer, 37(7):56-64, July 2004.

An extended version of the survey is available as a Michigan State University technical report.  This version of the paper uses the taxonomy to classify many projects involving compositional adaptation.  Moreover, the technical report  is intended to be a living document, updated periodically to summarize and classify new contributions to the field.
The technical report is available as follows:
"A Taxonomy of Compositional Adaptation," Technical Report MSU-CSE-04-17, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 2004.




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