Intelligent Overlay Network for Service-Oriented Architectures

Tactical environments impose constraints on service-oriented architecture that are not present in the strategic and commercial worlds. These constraints include limited service lifetimes, changing access points, and limited bandwidth. Many of these can be overcome by mediating service requests through a service broker. Java Business Integration provides an open standard for creating such a broker, and also offers a framework for the insertion of value-added services, including third-party products. Value-added services can include automated bridges to peer-to-peer networks such as that of Future Combat Systems. The availability of such bridges, whose creation can be automated, will allow peer-to-peer networks to interact seamlessly with providers of web services. The introduction of service brokers, particularly multiple brokers acting in concert, can also provide correct bindings to identical service providers that differ only in current context properties, such as geographic location; the resolution of such providers is another significant problem in tactical environments.