@phdthesis{Sahlmann2021, author = {Sahlmann, Kristina}, title = {Network management with semantic descriptions for interoperability on the Internet of Things}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-52984}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-529846}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {x, 272}, year = {2021}, abstract = {The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of physical objects that can be discovered, monitored, controlled, or interacted with by electronic devices that communicate over various networking interfaces and eventually can be connected to the wider Internet. [Guinard and Trifa, 2016]. IoT devices are equipped with sensors and/or actuators and may be constrained in terms of memory, computational power, network bandwidth, and energy. Interoperability can help to manage such heterogeneous devices. Interoperability is the ability of different types of systems to work together smoothly. There are four levels of interoperability: physical, network and transport, integration, and data. The data interoperability is subdivided into syntactic and semantic data. Semantic data describes the meaning of data and the common understanding of vocabulary e.g. with the help of dictionaries, taxonomies, ontologies. To achieve interoperability, semantic interoperability is necessary. Many organizations and companies are working on standards and solutions for interoperability in the IoT. However, the commercial solutions produce a vendor lock-in. They focus on centralized approaches such as cloud-based solutions. This thesis proposes a decentralized approach namely Edge Computing. Edge Computing is based on the concepts of mesh networking and distributed processing. This approach has an advantage that information collection and processing are placed closer to the sources of this information. The goals are to reduce traffic, latency, and to be robust against a lossy or failed Internet connection. We see management of IoT devices from the network configuration management perspective. This thesis proposes a framework for network configuration management of heterogeneous, constrained IoT devices by using semantic descriptions for interoperability. The MYNO framework is an acronym for MQTT, YANG, NETCONF and Ontology. The NETCONF protocol is the IETF standard for network configuration management. The MQTT protocol is the de-facto standard in the IoT. We picked up the idea of the NETCONF-MQTT bridge, originally proposed by Scheffler and Bonneß[2017], and extended it with semantic device descriptions. These device descriptions provide a description of the device capabilities. They are based on the oneM2M Base ontology and formalized by the Semantic Web Standards. The novel approach is using a ontology-based device description directly on a constrained device in combination with the MQTT protocol. The bridge was extended in order to query such descriptions. Using a semantic annotation, we achieved that the device capabilities are self-descriptive, machine readable and re-usable. The concept of a Virtual Device was introduced and implemented, based on semantic device descriptions. A Virtual Device aggregates the capabilities of all devices at the edge network and contributes therefore to the scalability. Thus, it is possible to control all devices via a single RPC call. The model-driven NETCONF Web-Client is generated automatically from this YANG model which is generated by the bridge based on the semantic device description. The Web-Client provides a user-friendly interface, offers RPC calls and displays sensor values. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach in different use cases: sensor and actuator scenarios, as well as event configuration and triggering. The semantic approach results in increased memory overhead. Therefore, we evaluated CBOR and RDF HDT for optimization of ontology-based device descriptions for use on constrained devices. The evaluation shows that CBOR is not suitable for long strings and RDF HDT is a promising candidate but is still a W3C Member Submission. Finally, we used an optimized JSON-LD format for the syntax of the device descriptions. One of the security tasks of network management is the distribution of firmware updates. The MYNO Update Protocol (MUP) was developed and evaluated on constrained devices CC2538dk and 6LoWPAN. The MYNO update process is focused on freshness and authenticity of the firmware. The evaluation shows that it is challenging but feasible to bring the firmware updates to constrained devices using MQTT. As a new requirement for the next MQTT version, we propose to add a slicing feature for the better support of constrained devices. The MQTT broker should slice data to the maximum packet size specified by the device and transfer it slice-by-slice. For the performance and scalability evaluation of MYNO framework, we setup the High Precision Agriculture demonstrator with 10 ESP-32 NodeMCU boards at the edge of the network. The ESP-32 NodeMCU boards, connected by WLAN, were equipped with six sensors and two actuators. The performance evaluation shows that the processing of ontology-based descriptions on a Raspberry Pi 3B with the RDFLib is a challenging task regarding computational power. Nevertheless, it is feasible because it must be done only once per device during the discovery process. The MYNO framework was tested with heterogeneous devices such as CC2538dk from Texas Instruments, Arduino Y{\´u}n Rev 3, and ESP-32 NodeMCU, and IP-based networks such as 6LoWPAN and WLAN. Summarizing, with the MYNO framework we could show that the semantic approach on constrained devices is feasible in the IoT.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Christgau2017, author = {Christgau, Steffen}, title = {One-sided communication on a non-cache-coherent many-core architecture}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-403100}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {219}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Aktuelle Mehrkernprozessoren stellen parallele Systeme dar, die den darauf ausgef{\"u}hrten Programmen gemeinsamen Speicher zur Verf{\"u}gung stellen. Sowohl die ansteigende Kernanzahlen in sogenannten Vielkernprozessoren (many-core processors) als auch die weiterhin steigende Leistungsf{\"a}higkeit der einzelnen Kerne erfordert hohe Bandbreiten, die das Speichersystem des Prozessors liefern muss. Hardware-basierte Cache-Koh{\"a}renz st{\"o}ßt in aktuellen Vielkernprozessoren an Grenzen des praktisch Machbaren. Dementsprechend m{\"u}ssen alternative Architekturen und entsprechend geeignete Programmiermodelle untersucht werden. In dieser Arbeit wird der Single-Chip Cloud Computer (SCC), ein nicht-cachekoh{\"a}renter Vielkernprozessor betrachtet, der aus 48, {\"u}ber ein Gitternetzwerk verbundenen Kernen besteht. Obwohl der Prozessor f{\"u}r nachrichten-basierte Kommunikation entwickelt worden ist, zeigen die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit, dass einseitige Kommunikation auf Basis gemeinsamen Speichers effizient auf diesem Architekturtyp realisiert werden kann. Einseitige Kommunikation erm{\"o}glicht Datenaustausch zwischen Prozessen, bei der der Empf{\"a}nger keine Details {\"u}ber die stattfindende Kommunikation besitzen muss. Im Sinne des MPI-Standards ist so ein Zugriff auf Speicher entfernter Prozesse m{\"o}glich. Zur Umsetzung dieses Konzepts auf nicht-koh{\"a}renten Architekturen werden in dieser Arbeit sowohl eine effiziente Prozesssynchronisation als auch ein Kommunikationsschema auf Basis von software-basierter Cache-Koh{\"a}renz erarbeitet und untersucht. Die Prozesssynchronisation setzt das Konzept der general active target synchronization aus dem MPI-Standard um. Ein existierendes Klassifikationsschema f{\"u}r dessen Implementierungen wird erweitert und zur Identifikation einer geeigneten Klasse f{\"u}r die nicht-koh{\"a}rente Plattform des SCC verwendet. Auf Grundlage der Klassifikation werden existierende Implementierungen analysiert, daraus geeignete Konzepte extrahiert und ein leichtgewichtiges Synchronisationsprotokoll f{\"u}r den SCC entwickelt, das sowohl gemeinsamen Speicher als auch ungecachete Speicherzugriffe verwendet. Das vorgestellte Schema ist nicht anf{\"a}llig f{\"u}r Verz{\"o}gerungen zwischen Prozessen und erlaubt direkte Kommunikation sobald beide Kommunikationspartner daf{\"u}r bereit sind. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse zeigen ein sehr gutes Skaliserungsverhalten und eine f{\"u}nffach geringere Latenz f{\"u}r die Prozesssynchronisation im Vergleich zu einer auf Nachrichten basierenden MPI-Implementierung des SCC. F{\"u}r die Kommunikation wird mit SCOSCo ein auf gemeinsamen Speicher und software-basierter Cache-Koh{\"a}renz basierenden Konzept vorgestellt. Entsprechende Anforderungen an die Koh{\"a}renz, die dem MPI-Standard entsprechen, werden aufgestellt und eine schlanke Implementierung auf Basis der Hard- und Software-Funktionalit{\"a}ten des SCCs entwickelt. Trotz einer aufgedecktem Fehlfunktion im Speichersubsystem des SCC kann in den experimentellen Auswertungen von Mikrobenchmarks eine f{\"u}nffach verbesserte Bandbreite und eine nahezu vierfach verringerte Latenz beobachtet werden. In Anwendungsexperimenten, wie einer dreidimensionalen schnellen Fourier-Transformation, kann der Anteil der Kommunikation an der Laufzeit um den Faktor f{\"u}nf reduziert werden. In Erg{\"a}nzung dazu werden in dieser Arbeit Konzepte aufgestellt, die in zuk{\"u}nftigen Architekturen, die Cache-Koh{\"a}renz nicht auf einer globalen Ebene des Prozessors liefern k{\"o}nnen, f{\"u}r die Umsetzung von Software-basierter Koh{\"a}renz f{\"u}r einseitige Kommunikation hilfreich sind.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Ostrowski2018, author = {Ostrowski, Max}, title = {Modern constraint answer set solving}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-407799}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {135}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a declarative problem solving approach, combining a rich yet simple modeling language with high-performance solving capabilities. Although this has already resulted in various applications, certain aspects of such applications are more naturally modeled using variables over finite domains, for accounting for resources, fine timings, coordinates, or functions. Our goal is thus to extend ASP with constraints over integers while preserving its declarative nature. This allows for fast prototyping and elaboration tolerant problem descriptions of resource related applications. The resulting paradigm is called Constraint Answer Set Programming (CASP). We present three different approaches for solving CASP problems. The first one, a lazy, modular approach combines an ASP solver with an external system for handling constraints. This approach has the advantage that two state of the art technologies work hand in hand to solve the problem, each concentrating on its part of the problem. The drawback is that inter-constraint dependencies cannot be communicated back to the ASP solver, impeding its learning algorithm. The second approach translates all constraints to ASP. Using the appropriate encoding techniques, this results in a very fast, monolithic system. Unfortunately, due to the large, explicit representation of constraints and variables, translation techniques are restricted to small and mid-sized domains. The third approach merges the lazy and the translational approach, combining the strength of both while removing their weaknesses. To this end, we enhance the dedicated learning techniques of an ASP solver with the inferences of the translating approach in a lazy way. That is, the important knowledge is only made explicit when needed. By using state of the art techniques from neighboring fields, we provide ways to tackle real world, industrial size problems. By extending CASP to reactive solving, we open up new application areas such as online planning with continuous domains and durations.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Smirnov2011, author = {Smirnov, Sergey}, title = {Business process model abstraction}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-60258}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Business process models are used within a range of organizational initiatives, where every stakeholder has a unique perspective on a process and demands the respective model. As a consequence, multiple process models capturing the very same business process coexist. Keeping such models in sync is a challenge within an ever changing business environment: once a process is changed, all its models have to be updated. Due to a large number of models and their complex relations, model maintenance becomes error-prone and expensive. Against this background, business process model abstraction emerged as an operation reducing the number of stored process models and facilitating model management. Business process model abstraction is an operation preserving essential process properties and leaving out insignificant details in order to retain information relevant for a particular purpose. Process model abstraction has been addressed by several researchers. The focus of their studies has been on particular use cases and model transformations supporting these use cases. This thesis systematically approaches the problem of business process model abstraction shaping the outcome into a framework. We investigate the current industry demand in abstraction summarizing it in a catalog of business process model abstraction use cases. The thesis focuses on one prominent use case where the user demands a model with coarse-grained activities and overall process ordering constraints. We develop model transformations that support this use case starting with the transformations based on process model structure analysis. Further, abstraction methods considering the semantics of process model elements are investigated. First, we suggest how semantically related activities can be discovered in process models-a barely researched challenge. The thesis validates the designed abstraction methods against sets of industrial process models and discusses the method implementation aspects. Second, we develop a novel model transformation, which combined with the related activity discovery allows flexible non-hierarchical abstraction. In this way this thesis advocates novel model transformations that facilitate business process model management and provides the foundations for innovative tool support.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Mahr2012, author = {Mahr, Philipp}, title = {Resource efficient communication in network-based reconfigurable on-chip systems}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-59914}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The constantly growing capacity of reconfigurable devices allows simultaneous execution of complex applications on those devices. The mere diversity of applications deems it impossible to design an interconnection network matching the requirements of every possible application perfectly, leading to suboptimal performance in many cases. However, the architecture of the interconnection network is not the only aspect affecting performance of communication. The resource manager places applications on the device and therefore influences latency between communicating partners and overall network load. Communication protocols affect performance by introducing data and processing overhead putting higher load on the network and increasing resource demand. Approaching communication holistically not only considers the architecture of the interconnect, but communication-aware resource management, communication protocols and resource usage just as well. Incorporation of different parts of a reconfigurable system during design- and runtime and optimizing them with respect to communication demand results in more resource efficient communication. Extensive evaluation shows enhanced performance and flexibility, if communication on reconfigurable devices is regarded in a holistic fashion.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Gebser2011, author = {Gebser, Martin}, title = {Proof theory and algorithms for answer set programming}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-55425}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Answer Set Programming (ASP) is an emerging paradigm for declarative programming, in which a computational problem is specified by a logic program such that particular models, called answer sets, match solutions. ASP faces a growing range of applications, demanding for high-performance tools able to solve complex problems. ASP integrates ideas from a variety of neighboring fields. In particular, automated techniques to search for answer sets are inspired by Boolean Satisfiability (SAT) solving approaches. While the latter have firm proof-theoretic foundations, ASP lacks formal frameworks for characterizing and comparing solving methods. Furthermore, sophisticated search patterns of modern SAT solvers, successfully applied in areas like, e.g., model checking and verification, are not yet established in ASP solving. We address these deficiencies by, for one, providing proof-theoretic frameworks that allow for characterizing, comparing, and analyzing approaches to answer set computation. For another, we devise modern ASP solving algorithms that integrate and extend state-of-the-art techniques for Boolean constraint solving. We thus contribute to the understanding of existing ASP solving approaches and their interconnections as well as to their enhancement by incorporating sophisticated search patterns. The central idea of our approach is to identify atomic as well as composite constituents of a propositional logic program with Boolean variables. This enables us to describe fundamental inference steps, and to selectively combine them in proof-theoretic characterizations of various ASP solving methods. In particular, we show that different concepts of case analyses applied by existing ASP solvers implicate mutual exponential separations regarding their best-case complexities. We also develop a generic proof-theoretic framework amenable to language extensions, and we point out that exponential separations can likewise be obtained due to case analyses on them. We further exploit fundamental inference steps to derive Boolean constraints characterizing answer sets. They enable the conception of ASP solving algorithms including search patterns of modern SAT solvers, while also allowing for direct technology transfers between the areas of ASP and SAT solving. Beyond the search for one answer set of a logic program, we address the enumeration of answer sets and their projections to a subvocabulary, respectively. The algorithms we develop enable repetition-free enumeration in polynomial space without being intrusive, i.e., they do not necessitate any modifications of computations before an answer set is found. Our approach to ASP solving is implemented in clasp, a state-of-the-art Boolean constraint solver that has successfully participated in recent solver competitions. Although we do here not address the implementation techniques of clasp or all of its features, we present the principles of its success in the context of ASP solving.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Decker2009, author = {Decker, Gero}, title = {Design and analysis of process choreographies}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-40761}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2009}, abstract = {With the rise of electronic integration between organizations, the need for a precise specification of interaction behavior increases. Information systems, replacing interaction previously carried out by humans via phone, faxes and emails, require a precise specification for handling all possible situations. Such interaction behavior is described in process choreographies. Choreographies enumerate the roles involved, the allowed interactions, the message contents and the behavioral dependencies between interactions. Choreographies serve as interaction contract and are the starting point for adapting existing business processes and systems or for implementing new software components. As a thorough analysis and comparison of choreography modeling languages is missing in the literature, this thesis introduces a requirements framework for choreography languages and uses it for comparing current choreography languages. Language proposals for overcoming the limitations are given for choreography modeling on the conceptual and on the technical level. Using an interconnection modeling style, behavioral dependencies are defined on a per-role basis and different roles are interconnected using message flow. This thesis reveals a number of modeling "anti-patterns" for interconnection modeling, motivating further investigations on choreography languages following the interaction modeling style. Here, interactions are seen as atomic building blocks and the behavioral dependencies between them are defined globally. Two novel language proposals are put forward for this modeling style which have already influenced industrial standardization initiatives. While avoiding many of the pitfalls of interconnection modeling, new anomalies can arise in interaction models. A choreography might not be realizable, i.e. there does not exist a set of interacting roles that collectively realize the specified behavior. This thesis investigates different dimensions of realizability.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Boehne2019, author = {B{\"o}hne, Sebastian}, title = {Different degrees of formality}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-42379}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-423795}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {VI, 167}, year = {2019}, abstract = {In this thesis we introduce the concept of the degree of formality. It is directed against a dualistic point of view, which only distinguishes between formal and informal proofs. This dualistic attitude does not respect the differences between the argumentations classified as informal and it is unproductive because the individual potential of the respective argumentation styles cannot be appreciated and remains untapped. This thesis has two parts. In the first of them we analyse the concept of the degree of formality (including a discussion about the respective benefits for each degree) while in the second we demonstrate its usefulness in three case studies. In the first case study we will repair Haskell B. Curry's view of mathematics, which incidentally is of great importance in the first part of this thesis, in light of the different degrees of formality. In the second case study we delineate how awareness of the different degrees of formality can be used to help students to learn how to prove. Third, we will show how the advantages of proofs of different degrees of formality can be combined by the development of so called tactics having a medium degree of formality. Together the three case studies show that the degrees of formality provide a convincing solution to the problem of untapped potential.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Przybylla2018, author = {Przybylla, Mareen}, title = {From Embedded Systems to Physical Computing: Challenges of the "Digital World" in Secondary Computer Science Education}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-418339}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xvii, 277}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Physical computing covers the design and realization of interactive objects and installations and allows learners to develop concrete, tangible products of the real world, which arise from their imagination. This can be used in computer science education to provide learners with interesting and motivating access to the different topic areas of the subject in constructionist and creative learning environments. However, if at all, physical computing has so far mostly been taught in afternoon clubs or other extracurricular settings. Thus, for the majority of students so far there are no opportunities to design and create their own interactive objects in regular school lessons. Despite its increasing popularity also for schools, the topic has not yet been clearly and sufficiently characterized in the context of computer science education. The aim of this doctoral thesis therefore is to clarify physical computing from the perspective of computer science education and to adequately prepare the topic both content-wise and methodologically for secondary school teaching. For this purpose, teaching examples, activities, materials and guidelines for classroom use are developed, implemented and evaluated in schools. In the theoretical part of the thesis, first the topic is examined from a technical point of view. A structured literature analysis shows that basic concepts used in physical computing can be derived from embedded systems, which are the core of a large field of different application areas and disciplines. Typical methods of physical computing in professional settings are analyzed and, from an educational perspective, elements suitable for computer science teaching in secondary schools are extracted, e. g. tinkering and prototyping. The investigation and classification of suitable tools for school teaching show that microcontrollers and mini computers, often with extensions that greatly facilitate the handling of additional components, are particularly attractive tools for secondary education. Considering the perspectives of science, teachers, students and society, in addition to general design principles, exemplary teaching approaches for school education and suitable learning materials are developed and the design, production and evaluation of a physical computing construction kit suitable for teaching is described. In the practical part of this thesis, with "My Interactive Garden", an exemplary approach to integrate physical computing in computer science teaching is tested and evaluated in different courses and refined based on the findings in a design-based research approach. In a series of workshops on physical computing, which is based on a concept for constructionist professional development that is developed specifically for this purpose, teachers are empowered and encouraged to develop and conduct physical computing lessons suitable for their particular classroom settings. Based on their in-class experiences, a process model of physical computing teaching is derived. Interviews with those teachers illustrate that benefits of physical computing, including the tangibility of crafted objects and creativity in the classroom, outweigh possible drawbacks like longer preparation times, technical difficulties or difficult assessment. Hurdles in the classroom are identified and possible solutions discussed. Empirical investigations in the different settings reveal that "My Interactive Garden" and physical computing in general have a positive impact, among others, on learner motivation, fun and interest in class and perceived competencies. Finally, the results from all evaluations are combined to evaluate the design principles for physical computing teaching and to provide a perspective on the development of decision-making aids for physical computing activities in school education.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Holz2013, author = {Holz, Christian}, title = {3D from 2D touch}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-67796}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2013}, abstract = {While interaction with computers used to be dominated by mice and keyboards, new types of sensors now allow users to interact through touch, speech, or using their whole body in 3D space. These new interaction modalities are often referred to as "natural user interfaces" or "NUIs." While 2D NUIs have experienced major success on billions of mobile touch devices sold, 3D NUI systems have so far been unable to deliver a mobile form factor, mainly due to their use of cameras. The fact that cameras require a certain distance from the capture volume has prevented 3D NUI systems from reaching the flat form factor mobile users expect. In this dissertation, we address this issue by sensing 3D input using flat 2D sensors. The systems we present observe the input from 3D objects as 2D imprints upon physical contact. By sampling these imprints at very high resolutions, we obtain the objects' textures. In some cases, a texture uniquely identifies a biometric feature, such as the user's fingerprint. In other cases, an imprint stems from the user's clothing, such as when walking on multitouch floors. By analyzing from which part of the 3D object the 2D imprint results, we reconstruct the object's pose in 3D space. While our main contribution is a general approach to sensing 3D input on 2D sensors upon physical contact, we also demonstrate three applications of our approach. (1) We present high-accuracy touch devices that allow users to reliably touch targets that are a third of the size of those on current touch devices. We show that different users and 3D finger poses systematically affect touch sensing, which current devices perceive as random input noise. We introduce a model for touch that compensates for this systematic effect by deriving the 3D finger pose and the user's identity from each touch imprint. We then investigate this systematic effect in detail and explore how users conceptually touch targets. Our findings indicate that users aim by aligning visual features of their fingers with the target. We present a visual model for touch input that eliminates virtually all systematic effects on touch accuracy. (2) From each touch, we identify users biometrically by analyzing their fingerprints. Our prototype Fiberio integrates fingerprint scanning and a display into the same flat surface, solving a long-standing problem in human-computer interaction: secure authentication on touchscreens. Sensing 3D input and authenticating users upon touch allows Fiberio to implement a variety of applications that traditionally require the bulky setups of current 3D NUI systems. (3) To demonstrate the versatility of 3D reconstruction on larger touch surfaces, we present a high-resolution pressure-sensitive floor that resolves the texture of objects upon touch. Using the same principles as before, our system GravitySpace analyzes all imprints and identifies users based on their shoe soles, detects furniture, and enables accurate touch input using feet. By classifying all imprints, GravitySpace detects the users' body parts that are in contact with the floor and then reconstructs their 3D body poses using inverse kinematics. GravitySpace thus enables a range of applications for future 3D NUI systems based on a flat sensor, such as smart rooms in future homes. We conclude this dissertation by projecting into the future of mobile devices. Focusing on the mobility aspect of our work, we explore how NUI devices may one day augment users directly in the form of implanted devices.}, language = {en} }