Murky Transparencies: Clarity using Performance Engineering

Abstract

This position paper highlights a daunting challenge facing the deployment of open distributed applications: the performance management component of the transparency functions. Applications operating in an ODP environment require distribution transparencies possessing comprehensive performance management capabilities including monitoring and modeling. The transparency functions are controlled by adaptive management agents that react dynamically to meet client QoS requirements given a current set of server and channel QoS capabilities. This technical challenge must work in a open environment with multiple autonomous administrative domains. For this goal to be realized, the ODP architecture must be enhanced. Distributed performance management of “operational” communications has been neglected in favor of the trendy multimedia “streams” communication in spite of the dominance of the former in current and future applications