DPEM: a decentralized software process enactment model

Abstract

This paper proposes a decentralized process enactment model called DPEM, which operates on the network. It consists of multiple developer sites, a name server site, a developer coordinator site, and an event manager site. DPEM also provides an intermediate process language called DPEL. To enact a process program written in a source process language (e.g. CSPL and APPL/A), the process program is first translated into DPEL segments, in which those for developer sites are composed of activities and synchronization information. Next, DPEL segments are transferred to DPEM sites. Then, activities in developer sites are enacted concurrently, during which activities are synchronized using synchronization information transferred to the developer sites. Major features offered by DPEM are: (1) every site in DPEM can enact DPEL segments and hence no site will become a bottleneck, (2) a software product is managed by the site that accesses it frequently, which reduces network flows, and (3) DPEM can coordinate heterogeneous process-centered software engineering environments using the intermediate process language DPEL.