A Multi-Protocol Approach to Service Discovery and Access in Pervasive Environments

Pervasive computing environments bring new challenges for client/service interactions due to the heterogeneity of both the interconnected networks and the middleware platforms used. In order for clients to truly benefit from all the networked services embedded into the environment, an innovative solution is required that overcomes both the lack of interoperability of the existing discovery and access protocols, and the limited interconnectivity between the different networks available at a location. This paper introduces the MUSDAC middleware platform that interoperates with existing middleware protocols, and manages the dissemination of service information in dynamic multi-network environments. A generic service is thus provided that enables clients to discover and interact with services in the entire environment. A prototype implementation of our platform is further presented, enabling us to demonstrate the flexibility of our approach