Title: Policy-based autonomic computing with integral support for self-stabilisation

Authors: Richard John Anthony

Addresses: Department of Computer Science, The University of Greenwich, Greenwich, London, SE10 9LS, UK

Abstract: This paper describes the AGILE technology for building self-managing systems. AGILE serves as both a policy expression language and a framework that facilitates the integration and dynamic composition of several autonomic computing techniques within a single deployment technology and supports run-time self-reconfiguration. The paper also discusses the need for self-stabilisation mechanisms for autonomic systems in order to reduce the reliance of autonomic components on external supervision and extend their behavioural scope and trustability. The self-stabilisation approach taken and the initial support mechanisms in this regard that have been integrated into AGILE are examined. A demonstration application illustrates the powerful dynamic adaptation capabilities of the technology. The self-stabilisation theme is prominent, but other aspects are also demonstrated, including dynamic reconfiguration at the policy level, automated built-in signal processing and trend analysis, the integration of policies and utility functions and the ease with which such advanced self-managing behaviour can be configured using AGILE.

Keywords: policy-based computing; autonomic computing; self-stabilisation; self-managing systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAC.2009.024497

International Journal of Autonomic Computing, 2009 Vol.1 No.1, pp.1 - 33

Received: 19 Jan 2008
Accepted: 22 Aug 2008
Published online: 07 Apr 2009 *

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