• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Oliver Theel

• Mohamed Abdelaal, MSc. Computer Science
• Björn-Carsten Bösch, Diplom-Ingenieur (FH)
• Meike Burke
• Oday Jubran, MSc. Computer Science
  
• Eike Moehlmann, Diplom Computer Science
• Nils Müllner, Diplom Computer Scientist
• Petra Oetken
• Dilshod Rahmatov, MSc. Computer Science
• Robert Schadek, MSc. Computer Science

The Department of System Software and Distributed Systems specialises in teaching and research in the areas of operating systems and service applications for centralised and distributed computing systems. Operating systems and service applications are part of the so-called system software of a computing system.

System software is very complex in structure and functionality and in many cases defies easy description, representation and realisation. Challenges for the

System software challenges are aimed at integrating a very large number of inhomogeneous and distributed physical computer components, which are connected via networks and are usually error-prone, as well as often having a limited energy budget, low computing power and dynamic connection behaviour. Users and their applications require system software to make these distributed computer systems appear as homogeneous and failure- and distribution-transparent as possible and to be able to use them for a long time.
The fact of physical distribution, limited energy budgets, low computing power, error states and dynamic reconfigurations of the computer system components and the associated management problems should be able to be ignored by the user during use; it is the task of the system software to achieve this. These system software management problems are the focus of the department's research activities. The system software should have properties such as transparency in various forms

• scalability,

• fault tolerance,

• availability,

• reliability,

• stability and
  

• performance
  

possess. Transparency conceals internal system software structures from the user; it makes it easier for the user to handle the system and opens up targeted reconfiguration measures on the part of the system software, e.g. to dynamically optimise the scalability, reliability, service life or performance of the system. The algorithms used should be scalable, i.e. allow the management of a growing number of components in the future. Due to the large number of components, the system software must be able to deal adequately with the temporary failure of individual components without failing completely. Under certain circumstances, individual components must be able to work "as long as possible without interruption". If components fail, they should at best gradually reduce the performance or functionality of the system.
Key concepts in this context are the existence and correct management of redundancy (data and service replication, stabilisation or self-stabilisation and region fidelity).

Since its foundation in 2002, the department has been involved in co-operation with other research institutions and has been able to acquire various third-party funding. Since 2004, problems of stabilisation, self-stabilisation and availability have been the subject of research in two projects within the DFG-SFB/Transregio 14 AVACS (Automatic Verification and Analysis of Complex Systems) together with Saarland University, the University of Freiburg and the Max Planck Institute for Computing Science.

The replication of data and services has been investigated within the DFG Research Training Group1076 TrustSoft (Trustworthy Software Systems, 2005-2010) and since 2012 in the DFG Research Training Group 1765 SCARE (System Correctness under Adverse Conditions) together with energy efficiency in wireless sensor networks. The EU's Target II Erasmus Mundus programme has supported the department's research in the field of regional fidelity since 2012, and the RISE programme (Research Internships in Science and Engineering), funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Research Foundation (DFG), regularly gives North American students an insight into the department's research activities.

The national, international and interdisciplinary cooperation of the scientists involved in all these projects has led to a very successful combination of key competences that have advanced research in the areas addressed. Through these co-operations, including the research initiative

Exploit Dynamics! research initiative of the Department of Computing Science is expected to be further intensified in the coming years.

Further information can be found on the WWW at www.svs.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de.