Approaches to improve reliability of service composition

Abstract

Nowadays, enterprises realize functionality as systems that are composed of services. This includes even mission critical parts of their business. Hence, the reliability of such systems including their composition and services is increasingly important. However, it is a challenge to establish a high reliability in this context because distribution of functionality increases the potential points of failure. Different approaches exist to increase reliability but they typically act on a restricted scope like network layer or software design. In order to obtain better results, it is often necessary to combine multiple approaches depending on the actual situation and the requirements. This paper classifies commonly used approaches according their scope and rates their effects on the reliability. Thereby, it supports the selection of approaches to improve reliability and finally helps to find a suitable solution for a given situation. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.