OBJECTIVE

The high level objective of iLAND is to develop enabling technology and infrastructure of a modular component-based middleware for in-building Infrastructured NES that have strong needs for deterministic dynamic functional composition and reconfiguration. The goal is to improve system flexibility, scalability, and composability. Also, maintainability will be improved since spontaneous reconfiguration of the system will be supported. This will enable dynamic functionality reconfiguration (i.e., new node activation, removal of crashed or damaged nodes and reallocation of functionality, etc.).

This will require the combination of different technologies, platforms, and approaches from real-time technology and operating systems to existing service-oriented approaches for modeling and implementing applications and composition techniques for them. iLAND will rely on existing solutions that will be extended as required by the iLAND applications. iLAND will transfer to three industrial applications the selected technologies and approaches by its convenient integration and their enhancement to fit the needs of reconfiguration and determinism in terms of time bounds of iLAND applications.

Therefore, the set of concrete objectives that will be achieved are the following:

• Middleware architecture: it will be light-weight (to suit embedded systems), component-based (for function isolation and easy algorithm replacement), platform independent (complete abstraction of specific resources, OS policies, and networking infrastructures).
• Deterministic middleware services: bounded time composition algorithms and dynamic reconfiguration algorithms will be developed for service-based networked applications.
• QoS-based resource management and support for adaptation: combined resource management will be performed to achieve adaptation to changing needs due to environmental or programmed changes. They will be based on deterministic platform enhancements.
• Built-in security hooks and policies.
• Application modelling approach specification for deterministic dynamic reconfiguration and composition, and its integration in tools.
• Validation and proof of concept through laboratory prototype of the middleware platform and two in-building applications.