Automated Synthesis of Mediators for Middleware-layer Protocol Interoperability in the IoT

Abstract

To enable direct Internet connectivity of Things, complete protocol stacks need to be deployed on resource-constrained devices. Such protocol stacks typically build on lightweight IPv6 adaptations and may even include a middleware layer supporting high-level application development. However, the profusion of IoT middleware-layer interaction protocols has introduced technology diversity and high fragmentation in the IoT systems landscape with siloed vertical solutions. To enable the interconnection of heterogeneous Things across these barriers, advanced interoperability solutions at the middleware layer are required. In this paper, we introduce a solution for the automated synthesis of protocol mediators that support the interconnection of heterogeneous Things. Our systematic approach relies on the Data eXchange (DeX) connector model, which comprehensively abstracts and represents existing and potentially future IoT middleware protocols. Thanks to DeX, Things seamlessly interconnect through lightweight mediators. We validate our solution with respect to: (i) the support to developers when developing heterogeneous IoT applications; (ii) the runtime performance of the synthesized mediators.