Distributed Systems
We Make Services Valuable
The Distributed Systems (DSY) research group of the InIT focuses on scalable and reliable implementation of sophisticated IT-based services. We address questions such as:
- What architecture best suits your specific cloud application?
- Which service model (IaaS, CaaS, PaaS, FaaS, ...) ensures optimal implementation of an application?
- Which tools are needed for development, operation and monitoring of the services?
- How to offer applications "as a service" (SaaS)?
- How to monetize modern IT services?
- How to integrate the "physical world" into complex IT services?
The research group is engaged in international projects within the EU research framework and works closely with partners from the private sector on innovative products within Innosuisse funded or directly financed projects.
The knowledge gained from applied research and development is transferred to students of computer science courses in the following modules:
Research Topics
Cloud Computing
The Init Cloud Computing Lab (ICCLAB) is dedicated to the automated deployment, operation and usage of configurable, highly scalable and resilient IT resources on a pay-per-use basis. In addition to infrastructure virtualization, this includes platform services for automated application delivery, scalable back-end, and monitoring of services and applications.
Service Prototyping
The Service Prototyping Lab (SPLAB) addresses the implementation and validation of complex services in cloud or post-cloud environments. In addition to the migration of existing services to the cloud, the main focus is on modern application architectures (Cloud Native Applications, Microservices, Serverless), the provisioning of tools for optimal implementation, the experimental validation of concepts and their monetization (Cloud Accounting and Billing).
Cloud Robotics
The Init Cloud Comupting Lab (ICCLAB) also addresses the integration of robotic applications into complex networked services. The usage of elastic cloud services allows to extend the capabilities of robots (computing power, context information, artificial intelligence, ...) as well as to manage and coordinate them. Programming frameworks and automation services enable developers to integrate robots into services without having in-depth knowledge at device level.
Projects
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RACCOON – Rapid Application-Centric Composition and Online Orchestration iNvestigation
The RACOON project explores novel methods to compose online applications across the engineering lifecycle. In particular, it extends beyond the state of technology in user-friendly cloud application design, implementation and deployment. Furthermore, it investigates application scenarios for turning such methods ...
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Exploiting User Journeys and Testing Automation for Supporting Efficient Energy Service Platforms
LEDCity is a Zurich based cleantech start-up and develops an autonomous plug and play lighting system to reduce the energy consumption of lighting by 90% compared to conventional lights. LEDCity’s AI-based optimization of lighting systems (OLS) is a radical new approach to sensor controlled lighting systems. OLS can ...
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Digital Mobility/Logistics Hub
In this project, a «Digital Mobility/Logistics Hub» with different traffic modalities will be realised in robotic model format and combined with cameras and digital components (simulators, device models, cloud platforms, real-time injection of open data, reservation system, application scenarios). A logistics ...
Publications
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Birchler, Christian; Khatiri, Sajad; Bosshard, Bill; Gambi, Alessio; Panichella, Sebastiano,
2023.
Machine learning-based test selection for simulation-based testing of self-driving cars software.
Empirical Software Engineering.
28(71).
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-023-10286-y
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Toffetti, Giovanni; Militano, Leonardo; Murphy, Seán; Maurer, Remo; Straub, Mark,
2022.
Cloud native robotic applications with GPU sharing on Kubernetes [paper].
In:
IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Kyoto, Japan, 23-27 October 2022.
arXiv.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2210.03936
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Militano, Leonardo; Zafeiropoulos, Anastasios; Fotopoulou, Eleni; Bruschi, Roberto; Lombardo, Chiara; Edmonds, Andy; Papavassiliou, Symeon,
2022.
AI-powered Infrastructures for intelligence and automation in beyond-5G systems [paper].
In:
Proceedings of 2021 IEEE Globecom Workshops (GC Wkshps).
2021 IEEE Globecom Workshops (GC Wkshps), Madrid, Spain, 7-11 December 2021.
IEEE.
pp. 1-6.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1109/GCWkshps52748.2021.9682117
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Spillner, Josef; Gkikopoulos, Panagiotis; Delgado, Pamela; Choirat, Christine,
2022.
Towards reproducible software studies with MAO and Renku.
SoftwareX.
17(100947).
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2021.100947
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Gkikopoulos, Panagiotis; Schiavoni, Valerio; Spillner, Josef,
2021.
Analysis and improvement of heterogeneous hardware support in Docker images [paper].
In:
Distributed Applications and Interoperable Systems.
21st International Conference on Distributed Applications and Interoperable Systems (DAIS), Valletta, Malta (online), 14-18 June 2021.
Cham:
Springer.
pp. 125-142.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science ; 12718.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78198-9_9