On the Role of Architectural Styles in Improving the Adaptation Support of Middleware Platforms

Modern middleware platforms provide the applications deployed on top of them with facilities for their adaptation. However, the level of adaptation support provided by the state-of-the-art middleware solutions is often limited to dynamically loading and off-loading of software components. Therefore, it is left to the application developers to handle the details of change such that the system’s consistency is not jeopardized. In this paper, we present an approach that addresses the current shortcomings by utilizing the information encoded in a software system’s architectural style. This information drives the development of adaptation patterns, which could be employed to enhance the adaptation support in middleware platforms. The patterns specify both the exact sequence of changes and the time at which those changes need to occur.