Framework for middleware in ubiquitous computing systems

Developing system software for ubiquitous computing makes consideration of numerous requirements necessary. This is primarily due to the dynamic, mobile, unpredictable and heterogeneous environment of ubiquitous computing systems. Middleware provide solutions to common tasks in ubiquitous computing, e.g. communication, discovery, deployment, personalisation, group management etc. Middleware are developed using frameworks. Existing frameworks such as CORBA component model, Webservices, and Jini support middleware in certain aspects, e.g. communication protocols, but restrict them to certain assumptions, e.g. no disconnected operation or the client/server model. In this paper a framework for middleware in ubiquitous computing is presented. The framework is used to develop middleware with the service oriented architecture paradigm. The framework presented is applied to a middleware to allow for group based communication. The middleware, and especially the management entity of the middleware, is described in greater detail in this paper.