No abstract

Nowadays more and more devices of daily life are connected to each other and are integrated into massively distributed networks of embedded devices. These devices range from consumer electronics such as digital picture frames or internet radios to embedded devices such as fridges or home control in general. The service-oriented paradigm is the main concept to implement complex, heterogeneous and large IT systems. However, if it comes to embedded devices, resource constraints imposed by the underlying hardware, such as 8-Bit micro controllers, require efficient protocols. This often prohibits the use of technologies known from the Web service domain, the major implementation of the service-oriented paradigm. Nevertheless, a quick and seamless information flow between embedded devices and Web services is already today an important requirement for many application scenarios, e.g., real-time aware production management or the Internet of Things. Within this paper, we present an approach that takes benefit of traditional SOA implementations, such as Web service interfaces and an IP compatible addressing schema. One advantage of the solution is that it can be implemented on resource constraint devices. The main innovations are combination of web service mechanisms with a data-centric processing paradigm to Services at the device level and enabling a generic Service Bridge as an agnostic mediator between the Web Service world and the Service world on networked embedded devices.

Abstract-The development of embedded networks poses several challenges: complexity and size of the network, heterogeneity of nodes, and infrastructure dynamics. From other IT domains it is known that many of these challenges can be met by a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). In the context of embedded networks, an application can be interpreted as a set of interacting services that produce, consume or manipulate data. However, the hard boundary conditions of embedded networks, such as limited resources and real time requirements, have to be taken into account. This paper discusses an embedded SOA ( SOA) concept based on the definition of an embedded service ( Service) term and the differences to traditional Web services based SOAs. The paper describes a middleware platform that supports the execution and development of embedded network applications by employing model based code generation and a pattern based service composition model. The advantages of the approach are showcased using an application from the building automation sector, focusing on the energy management of smart buildings.

Embedded networks are emerging in many application fields, such as the automotive or building and factory automation sector. Compared to other distributed systems, embedded networks offer a new challenge for developers: heterogeneity and resource constraints. The nodes contained in these networks can differ greatly w.r.t. their storage, processing and sensing/acting capabilities, ranging from very simple sensor devices with very limited resources over programmable logic controllers to very powerful nodes such as PCs. In order to achieve an efficient execution of applications running on such a network, a middleware is required that automatically adapts the embedded network to the requirements of the installed applications. In this paper, we will present a model driven development approach that allows the specification of application requirements, and a corresponding middleware solution that supports the automatic adaptation of the application execution based on these requirements and the characteristics of the underlying hardware.

Abstract-In the recent years, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have drawn a lot of attention and a lot of work has been done to provide an efficient communication infrastructure for these systems. This paper focuses on another -not so well studied-class of embedded networks: embedded networks used for control and automation purposes. In contrast to WSNs, these networks have a comparably stable infrastructure, with a low probability of node or link failure. The main challenge for the communication in control oriented networks is the heterogeneity of the underlying infrastructure and the resource constraints already known from WSNs. We propose an adaptable communication layer that leverages existing network protocols and at the same time provides a seamless communication over heterogeneous networks and an efficient and scalable network stack for individual nodes. We show the feasibility of this approach with a demonstrator for the smart energy management in a future home automation scenario.