Fuzzy-based Support for Service Composition in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract

In mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) devices may join and leave the network anytime, and devices may move randomly within the network. The arbitrary topology can vary rapidly and unpredictably which leads to a permanently changing availability of services. Devices in the network could typically be very resource-constraint and the resource situation may change rapidly, e.g. battery power may fade away, or due to memory limits a service may not currently run on a device, though it is available in principle. Therefore, dynamic service composition is inevitable and possible alternative compositions should be evaluated even if a valid composite service was found for a given task. These alternative compositions can be used in case a service or device of a selected composite service becomes unavailable. In order to manage the network's dynamic behavior which could introduce great complexity we propose a resource management component on every device which offers services to be used by other devices. This middleware layer should constantly benchmark the capability of a service being a potential candidate for a composite service in a certain situation. Hence, the process of service selection and the procedure of rating different possible valid compositions are disburdened allowing fast decision making and contingency reaction.