Ifatec

The objective of the project is to enable enterprises to cope with the wave of second generation client/servers by helping users to visualise and understand the way their workload would be handled by new middleware technologies. The next generation of client/server systems will inevitably be built using three-tiered architecture, where object oriented technology will be the ultimate form of self managing distribution.

The project will develop a workbench to predict and analyse performance and thereby aid the sizing and the configuring of commercial systems by service suppliers, service integrators, client/server editors and customers as well. This will provide: - performance prediction of a particular configuration and workload, - the ability to analyse and display information in a way that is easy to understand and which highlights bottlenecks, - tuning assistance for an existing configuration for a particular workload. As companies deploy mission-critical applications across distributed client/server environments, performance complexity becomes a major obstacle. Today's distributed environments are not only more technologically diverse and geographically dispersed than in the past, they are also more dynamic. Managing performance across many application, system and network components in these new environments is absolutely vital to minimise the impact to the business. Modelling an information system (IS) is a complex and cost consuming task. HELIOS approach consists in offering a wide library of predefined models for main computing products (hardware, software) in a workbench. The user friendly interface of this tool and re-usability of component models allows IS designers to get a fast modelling and a cheap performance prediction. HELIOS work is built on the background of SMART by IFATEC (a simulation predictor) and Multibase by TransTOOLS (a 4GL). SMART has proved the feasibility of the approach in working out a workbench for a first generation client/server (ORACLE7). The tangible results of the project will include: - a collection of performance models of Distributed Information System (DIS) components, CORBA/ORBIX, COM/OLE and Stored Procedures/PL-SQL, - a performance modelling workbench for DIS designers to evaluate performance of alternative configurations, - tools for benchmarking, validating and adapting performance models, - demonstration of the validity of the workbench using real applications. - The technology developed in HELIOS will be exploited according to two types of product: - As a simulation design workbench dedicated to DIS. The target users are developers and administrators, which are either in-house client/server developers or consulting and software houses. Some system manufacturers and integrators might also use the HELIOS workbench. - As complementary functions integrated into development or administration tools. Parts of the technology developed as-on functions will be marketed. Four types of target tools have been identified yet: second generation of client/server development tools, DIS administration tools, data-warehouse systems, general purpose simulation design environments lacking for specific component models. HELIOS will also be used by its industrial partners within their business of consulting and service delivery. Academic partners will mainly disseminated the results of the project through training, international journals and seminars.