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A framework for QoS-based Web service contracting

Published:03 July 2009Publication History
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Abstract

The extensive adoption of Web service-based applications in dynamic business scenarios, such as on-demand computing or highly reconfigurable virtual enterprises, advocates for methods and tools for the management of Web service nonfunctional aspects, such as Quality of Service (QoS). Concerning contracts on Web service QoS, the literature has mostly focused on the contract definition and on mechanisms for contract enactment, such as the monitoring of the satisfaction of negotiated QoS guarantees. In this context, this article proposes a framework for the automation of the Web service contract specification and establishment. An extensible model for defining both domain-dependent and domain-independent Web service QoS dimensions and a method for the automation of the contract establishment phase are proposed. We describe a matchmaking algorithm for the ranking of functionally equivalent services, which orders services on the basis of their ability to fulfill the service requestor requirements, while maintaining the price below a specified budget. We also provide an algorithm for the configuration of the negotiable part of the QoS Service-Level Agreement (SLA), which is used to configure the agreement with the top-ranked service identified in the matchmaking phase. Experimental results show that, in a utility theory perspective, the contract establishment phase leads to efficient outcomes. We envision two advanced application scenarios for the Web service contracting framework proposed in this article. First, it can be used to enhance Web services self-healing properties in reaction to QoS-related service failures; second, it can be exploited in process optimization for the online reconfiguration of candidate Web services QoS SLAs.

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              cover image ACM Transactions on the Web
              ACM Transactions on the Web  Volume 3, Issue 3
              June 2009
              179 pages
              ISSN:1559-1131
              EISSN:1559-114X
              DOI:10.1145/1541822
              Issue’s Table of Contents

              Copyright © 2009 ACM

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              Association for Computing Machinery

              New York, NY, United States

              Publication History

              • Published: 3 July 2009
              • Accepted: 1 March 2009
              • Revised: 1 December 2008
              • Received: 1 February 2007
              Published in tweb Volume 3, Issue 3

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