SHiC: a service-aware, high-level communication infrastructure supporting integration with the grid

The ability to adapt a software system to a new communication technology critically depends on the support available to cope with the relevant integration effort. In view of this goal, this paper puts forward a communication infrastructure consisting of two layers. The upper layer allows software to obtain remote services through simple but powerful abstractions, while the lower layer provides the upper one with uniform access to a specific underlying data transfer technology. As a benefit, resorting to the proposed infrastructure equips the system to be adapted with high level communication facilities, leaving it unconcerned about the specific data transfer technology used.