A Programmable Client-Server Model: Robust Extensibility via DSLs

The client-server model has been successfully used to support a wide variety of families of services in the context of distributed systems. However, its server-centric nature makes it insensitive to fast changing client characteristics like terminal capabilities, network features, user preferences and evolving needs. To overcome this key limitation, we present an approach to enabling a server to adapt to different clients by making it programmable. A service-description language is used to program server adaptations. This language is designed as a domain-specific language to offer expressiveness and conciseness without compromising safety and security. We show that our approach makes servers adaptable without requiring the deployment of new protocols or server implementations. We illustrate our approach with the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). An IMAP server is made programmable and a language, named Pems, is introduced to program robust variations of e-mail services. Our ap...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: KBSE
• Authors: Charles Consel, Laurent Réveillère
• Keywords: Approach Makes Servers, Internet Message Access Protocol, KBSE 2003, Server Adaptations, Software Engineering