Scheduling of composite Web Services

Abstract

Composite Web Services (CWS) aggregate multiple Web Services (WS) in one logical unit to accomplish a complex task (e.g. business process). This aggregation is achieved by defining a workflow that orchestrates the underlying Web Services in a manner consistent with the desired functionality. Since CWS can aggregate atomic WS and/or other CWS they foster the development of service layers and reuse of already existing functionality. An important issue in the deployment of services is their run-time performance under various loads. Due to the complex interactions of the underlying services, a CWS they can exhibit problematic and often difficult to predict behaviours in overload situations. This paper focuses on the use of request scheduling for improving CWS performance in overload situations. Different scheduling policies are investigated in regards to their effectiveness in helping with bulk arrivals. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.