Transparent shaping: A methodology for adding adaptive behavior to existing software systems and applications
Book Chapter
Sadjadi, SM, McKinley, PK, Cheng, BHC. (2011). Transparent shaping: A methodology for adding adaptive behavior to existing software systems and applications
. 77-113. 10.1142/9789814340922_0004
Sadjadi, SM, McKinley, PK, Cheng, BHC. (2011). Transparent shaping: A methodology for adding adaptive behavior to existing software systems and applications
. 77-113. 10.1142/9789814340922_0004
The need for adaptability in software is growing, driven in part by the emergence of pervasive and autonomic computing. In many cases, it is desirable to enhance existing programs with adaptive behavior, enabling them to execute effectively in dynamic environments. In this chapter, we introduce an innovative software engineering methodology called transparent shaping that enables dynamic addition of adaptive behavior to existing software systems and applications. We describe an approach to implementing transparent shaping that combines four key software development techniques: aspect-oriented programming to realize separation of concerns at development time, behavioral reflection to support software reconfiguration at run time, component-based design to facilitate independent development and deployment of adaptive code, and adaptive middleware to encapsulate the adaptive functionality. After presenting the general methodology, we discuss two specific realizations of transparent shaping that we have developed and used to create adaptable systems and applications from existing ones.
