Engineering self-adaptive systems through feedback loops
by Yuriy Brun, Giovanna Di Marzo Serugendo, Cristina Gacek, Holger Giese, Holger Kienle, Marin Litoiu, Hausi Müller, Mauro Pezzè, Mary Shaw
Abstract:
To deal with the increasing complexity of software systems and uncertainty of their environments, software engineers have turned to self-adaptivity. Self-adaptive systems are capable of dealing with a continuously changing environment and emerging requirements that may be unknown at design-time. However, building such systems cost-effectively and in a predictable manner is a major engineering challenge. In this paper, we explore the state-of-the-art in engineering self-adaptive systems and identify potential improvements in the design process. Our most important finding is that in designing self-adaptive systems, the feedback loops that control self-adaptation must become first-class entities. We explore feedback loops from the perspective of control engineering and within existing self-adaptive systems in nature and biology. Finally, we identify the critical challenges our community must address to enable systematic and well-organized engineering of self-adaptive and self-managing software systems.
Citation:
Yuriy Brun, Giovanna Di Marzo Serugendo, Cristina Gacek, Holger Giese, Holger Kienle, Marin Litoiu, Hausi Müller, Mauro Pezzè, and Mary Shaw, Engineering self-adaptive systems through feedback loops, in Software Engineering for Self-Adaptive Systems, B. H. Cheng et al., Eds., Springer-Verlag, 2009, pp. 48–70.
Bibtex:
@incollection{Brun09SEfSAS,
  author = {Yuriy Brun and Giovanna {Di Marzo Serugendo} and Cristina Gacek
  and Holger Giese and Holger Kienle and Marin Litoiu and Hausi M{\"{u}}ller
  and Mauro Pezz{\`{e}} and Mary Shaw},
  title =
  {\href{http://people.cs.umass.edu/brun/pubs/pubs/Brun09SEfSAS.pdf}{Engineering
  self-adaptive systems through feedback loops}},
  booktitle = {Software Engineering for Self-Adaptive Systems},
  venue = {Chapter},
  editor = {Betty H.C. Cheng and Rog{\'{e}}rio de Lemos and Holger Giese and
  Paola Inverardi and Jeff Magee},
  publisher = {Springer-Verlag},
  pages = {48--70},
  year = {2009},
  volume = {5525},
  doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-02161-9_3},
  isbn = {978-3-642-02160-2},

  note = {\href{https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02161-9_3}{DOI:
  10.1007/978-3-642-02161-9\_3}},

  abstract = {To deal with the increasing complexity of software systems and
  uncertainty of their environments, software engineers have turned to
  self-adaptivity. Self-adaptive systems are capable of dealing with a
  continuously changing environment and emerging requirements that may be
  unknown at design-time. However, building such systems cost-effectively and in
  a predictable manner is a major engineering challenge. In this paper, we
  explore the state-of-the-art in engineering self-adaptive systems and identify
  potential improvements in the design process.

  Our most important finding is that in designing self-adaptive systems, the
  feedback loops that control self-adaptation must become first-class entities.
  We explore feedback loops from the perspective of control engineering and
  within existing self-adaptive systems in nature and biology. Finally, we
  identify the critical challenges our community must address to enable
  systematic and well-organized engineering of self-adaptive and self-managing
  software systems.}, 
}