Objectives

Advanced computer systems are complex computer systems that should comply with a number of requirements, each and every one posing great challenges, that imply the use of a multitude of techniques which may still be in a research level. Moreover, besides these idiosyncrasies, it may very well be the case that these techniques should be applied together, and even optimized, to fulfill global application requirements. This is indeed the case of advanced distributed computer systems that include networked mobile devices, which represent today's cutting-edge of computer technology.

As a concrete example one can consider the so-called pervasive and ubiquitous computing, defined as systems that integrate a variety of devices that range from small ones with limited resources, some with mobility, together with powerful servers in different configurations, interconnected by several different technologies. These systems have to dynamically obtain informations about their environment, including the status of available devices, and the identity, rôle and location of human users, in order to reconfigure, in a consistent manner, the architectures that use these systems. These reconfigurations may be performed at the functional level, through the available services, or through the operational level, therefore modifying, at some level, the quality of the services being offered. It becomes clear then that these adjustments are actually important project decisions that should be taken at different levels, with significant impact on the final product.

• Software architecture
• Software adaptability
• Formal methods
• Mobile computing
• Real-time systems
• Power management in computer systems