Configuration of distributed heterogeneous information systems

Summary form only given. In a paper by H. Gomaa, 1993), a domain modeling approach was described for structuring and configuring families of distributed applications. The problem addressed now is the configuration of evolving distributed heterogenous information systems. The solution to this problem proposed by the author is to create a federation of information systems. Rather than individual information systems having to wrestle with interfacing to each other, all information systems that are interested in cooperating together form a federation, which provides an agreed set of services and addresses the information integration problem in a unified manner. A federation interface manager is a software subsystem that manages each member information system's interface to the federation. The goal is to allow each information system's clients and server(s) to be integrated into the federation with the minimum amount of software modification (ideally none) to support existing services, i.e., in order to provide the same services to federation clients as currently provided to local clients. Additional services will of course need software enhancements.<
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