Self-optimizing architecture for ensuring Quality Attributes in the cloud

We describe various challenges in ensuring quality attributes (QA) of applications hosted in the cloud and hence the perceived quality of service of the cloud as a whole. We advocate a self-management/optimization architecture-driven approach to ensure that quality attributes are met. We discuss the limitations of current approaches to self-managing architecture. We propose a novel approach, which exploits the El Farol problem as a modelling mechanism for QAs in architectures of applications in the cloud. The approach uses service level agreements (SLA) and utility theory to direct the self-optimization. We conclude by looking at directions for further work.