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Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt, DARPA/ITO

Thoughts on Maintaining IT Superiority in the Face of Commoditization Monday, October 6, 2014. Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt, DARPA/ITO. Middleware, Frameworks, & Components. Distributed systems increasingly must reuse commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware & software

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Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt, DARPA/ITO

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  1. Thoughts on Maintaining IT Superiority in the Face of CommoditizationMonday, October 6, 2014 Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt, DARPA/ITO

  2. Middleware, Frameworks, & Components • Distributed systems increasingly must reuse commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware & software • i.e., COTS is essential to R&D success High-performance, real-time, fault-tolerant, and secure systems Patterns & Pattern Languages Adaptive & reflective autonomous distributed embedded systems Power-aware ad hoc, mobile, distributed, & embedded systems Open-source & Standards Addressing the COTS “Crisis” • However, this trend presents many vexing R&D challenges for mission-critical DoD systems, e.g., • Inflexibility and lack of QoS • Security & global competition Why DARPA should care: • Despite IT commodization, progress in COTS hardware & software is often not applicable for mission-critical DoD distributed embedded systems • Recent advances in COTS software technology can help to fundamentally reshape distributed embedded system R&D

  3. Historically, mission-critical apps were built directly atop hardware & OS The domain-specific services layer is where system integrators can provide the most value & derive the most benefits Early COTS middleware lacked: • QoS specification & enforcement • Real-time features & optimizations • Layered resource management • Transparent power management The Evolution of COTS • This was extremely tedious, error-prone, & costly over system life-cycles • Standards-based COTS middleware helps: • Leverage hardware/software technology advances • Evolve to new environments & requirements There are multiple COTS layers & research/ business opportunities Advanced R&D has address some, but by no means all, of these issues

  4. Consequences of COTS & IT Commoditization • More emphasis on integration rather than programming • Increased technology convergence & standardization • Mass market economies of scale for technology & personnel • More disruptive technologies & global competition • Lower priced--but often lower quality--hardware & software components • The decline of internally funded R&D • Potential for complexity cap in next-generation complex systems Not all trends bode well for long-term competitiveness of traditional R&D leaders Ultimately, competitiveness will depend upon longer-term R&D efforts on complex distributed & embedded systems

  5. The DARPA/ITO Embedded Systems Family of Programs • MoBIES • Design technology & software CAD • SEC • Hybrid, adaptive, control & computation • ARMS • Adaptive & reflective middleware • Quorum • Quality-of-service & translucent layers • PCES • Composable embedded systems • NEST • Deeply networked embedded systems • PCA • Polymorphous computing architecture

  6. Standards-based QoS-enabled Middleware:Pluggable service & micro-protocol components & reusable “semi-complete” application frameworks Patterns and Pattern Languages: Generate software architectures by capturing recurring structures & dynamics & by resolving design forces Revolutionary changes in software process:Open-source, refactoring, extreme programming (XP), advanced V&V techniques How DARPA is Making a Difference in COTS • Why middleware-centric reuse works • Hardware advances • e.g., faster CPUs & networks • Software/system architecture advances • e.g., inter-layer optimizations & meta-programming mechanisms • Economic necessity • e.g., global competition for customers & engineers

  7. Concluding Remarks • There will be little or no incentive for industry to improve COTS hardware & software as long as: • Most users emphasize price & features over quality & scalability • Vendors continue to make $$$ selling lower-quality products inexpensively & en masse • There’s no credible competition or alternatives • Fundamental R&D funding levels continue to decline relative to venture capital • How DARPA can help the US maintain IT superiority • Ensure credible competition & alternatives, e.g., • Support R&D to evolve the confidence of commodity IT • Guide, rather than follow (or ignore) COTS maturation & standardization • Raise the bar for DoD contractors who participate in DARPA R&D programs • Stabilize funding of fundamental IT R&D challenges for complex systems

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