A Game Theoretic Solution for the Optimal Selection of Services

This chapter considers the problem of optimally selecting services during run-time with respect to their non-functional attributes and costs. Commercial pressures for reducing the cost of managing complex software systems are changing the way in which systems are designed and built. The reason behind this shift is the need for dealing with changes efficiently and effectively, which may include removing the human operator from the process of decision-making. In service-oriented computing, in particular, the run-time selection and integration of services may soon become a reality since services are readily available. Assuming that each component service has a specific functional and non-functional profile, the challenge now is to define a decision maker that is able to select services that satisfy the system requirements and optimise the quality of services under cost constraints. The approach presented in this chapter describes a game theoretic solution by formulating the problem as a bargaining game.