Integrationlab

An enterprise is frequently described by its business processes. In order to map the business processes to the IT infrastructure of an enterprise and to automate them, enterprises apply the so called Workflow Management Systems. A process interacts with multiple applications which realize the required business functions.

This implies that heterogeneous application systems must be able to communicate with each other seamlessly. Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is one paradigm that tackles heterogeneity of systems. Hence, main foci in research and teaching at IAAS are technologies like Messaging and Web Services.

The Integration Lab supports the research activities at IAAS in the area of Integration and Workflow technologies as well as it provides students the opportunity to familiarise with these technologies by working in student projects like Fachstudien, Studienarbeiten, Fachpraktika, Studienprojekten or diploma theses.

Organisationally the integrationlab consists of two devices: development environment and server environment. The development environment comprises 10 computers for software develompent, situated in the IAAS computer pool room. These are used exclusively by students to to create solutions for integration and workflow enablement. The server environment makes up the runtime environment for the created solutions. It provides the necessary middleware consisting of application-, database- and workflow servers.

Additionally the server environment is split into test and production to provide enterprise circumstances.

In order to enable high flexibility and optimal workload on the hardware resources, the server environment is built upon Blade-Servers using virtualization technology.

There is a wide range of EAI and workflow solution products in use which cover the areas modeling, execution and monitoring. These products include software from different manufacturers as well as appropriate applications and respectively enhancements on existing applications.

On the basis of these products, students are educated in the areas Business Process Management, Enterprise Application Integration and Service Orientented Architecture.

The IAAS utilizes the products provided by the Integrationlab for research of future technologies and development of prototypic implementations.