SAM: A Semantic-Aware Middleware for Mobile Cloud Computing

Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) requires an infrastructure that is combining the capabilities of resource-constrained but mobile and context-aware devices with that of immovable but powerful resources in the cloud. Application execution shall be boosted and battery consumption reduced. Our goal is to relieve mobile devices by enabling applications to cooperate transparently with components provided by third parties remotely, locally, or both. For this purpose, we developed SAM - the Semantic-aware Middleware - and the SAM Store. The latter resembles a registry. It allows component providers to publish semantically enriched interfaces and to offer corresponding local and remote implementations. SAM makes use of the SAM Store to match local interprocess communication (IPC) messages transparently against local and remote components. This architecture facilitates the integration of powerful, but resource-intensive remote components, which may be prioritized over local ones, and fosters various patterns of cooperation that demonstrate useful solutions in the area of MCC. By means of a realistic scenario, our evaluation proves the efficiency with respect to latency and practicality.