CloudSocket #

The CloudSocket is a software platform that enables BPaaS. 

A Cloud Provider that offers the CloudSocket service runs a CloudSocket Instance and is called CloudSocket Provider. From a functional point of view, CloudSocket is equipped with a Business Process Marketplace (Design Repository) that provides access to existing pre-defined business processes as well as to implementations thereof. The CloudSocket platform consists of four key environments: design, allocation, execution, evaluation. 

CloudSocket Instance #

An installation of the CloudSocket software platform (i.e. of its four independent and interoperable components) on a given infrastructure operated and managed by a CloudSocket Provider. One installation of CloudSocket not necessarily consists of all four software components; some may be missing, as they are not needed and some may have been replaced by custom components with the same interfaces. Finally, some CloudSocket providers may focus on one part of the platform (e.g. design) while others focus on execution and evaluation; and there may exist contracts between these providers.

A graphical modeller provides access to business processes from the design repository and enables the semantic annotation of Busines Process Models, as well as workflows.The semantic annotations capture for instance the possibility to impose performance constraints and further non-functional requirements on the business process as well as on individual tasks within this process. This environment either outputs a modelled abstract business process with semantic annotations to the allocation environment or an executable business process directly to the execution environment.  

The model will typically be defined in BPMN, BPMN 2.0, or as Abstract BPEL programmes; the executable business process will be defined in BPEL or as an Executable Business Process Model.  

**Allocation Environment # #

The allocation environment receives as an input workflow descriptions together with references to extenal third party services to use as well as high-level deployment configuration settings. It then packages up these artefacts into a self-contained, user-manageable Cloudlet. 

**Execution Environment # #

The Execution Engine takes a Cloudlet and is instantiated leading to a Cloudlet Instance. This requires that the following steps be executed.

1. The Cloudlet needs to be instantiated in the sense that its management becomes possible. This requires that the necessary resources to manage the Cloudlet and the workflows it runs be acquired: be it on IaaS platforms such as Amazon EC2 or be it with other third party service providers.In particular, the management interface of the Cloudlet needs to be bound to an accessible URI and necessary triggers to start workflows need to be instantiated.
2. The Cloudlet needs to be bound to third party (Web) service instances it requires to perform the workflows. 
3. Monitoring tools have to be established.

**Evaluation Environment** #

The evaluation environment first collects data logs from all involved services and normalises them. Furthermore, it then maps the collected information to semantic properties of the business processes contained in the Design Repository. The results from this monitoring will then be taken into account when the very same Business Process is enacted for the next time.