Architectural models for client interaction on service-oriented platforms

Service-oriented platforms can provide different levels of functionality to the client applications as well as different interaction models. Depending on the platform’s goals and the computing capacity of their expected clients the platform functionality can range from just an interface to support the discovery of services to a full set of intermediation facilities. Each of these options requires an architectural model to be followed in order to allow the support of the corresponding interaction pattern. This paper discusses architectural models for service-oriented platforms and how different choices of interaction models influence the design of such platforms. Service platforms’ functionality provisioning can vary from a simple discovery mechanism to a complete set, including discovery, selection, composition and invocation. This paper also discusses two architectural design choices reflecting distinct types of functionality provisioning namely matchmaker and broker. The broker provides a more complete set of functionality to the clients, while the matchmaker leaves part of the functionality and responsibility to the client, demanding a client platform with more computational capabilities.