Architectures for ubiquitous environments

Ubiquitous (or pervasive) systems are characterized by component distribution and dynamic behavior. In a ubiquitous environment, such as a future automated home (also called a domotic environment), user devices explore the environment to discover resources and services to control. This paper analyzes architectures for ubiquitous systems based on the structure of the environment and the way discovery mechanisms (such as Jini and UPnP) operate. As a result, a framework to classify the architectures is provided. As an example, a UPnP-based prototype for a domotic environment is presented. We use standard devices, such as PDAs and cell phones, to allow users to access and control virtual resources. The system provides user management capabilities, persistence, and standard interfaces, while preserving full UPnP compatibility. The prototype can be easily transferred to future realistic domotic installations.