Computing systems are expected to be effective. This
means that they serve a useful purpose when they are
first introduced and continue to be useful as conditions
change. Autonomic Computing, launched by IBM in
2001 [1], is emerging as a valuable new approach to the
design of effective computing systems.
The autonomic concept is inspired by the human
body’s autonomic nervous system. By analogy, humans
have good mechanisms for adapting to changing
environments and repairing minor physical damage. It is
hoped that computing systems can be developed with
similar properties.
It is likely that many branches of computer science
research and development will contribute to progress in
autonomic computing. In particular, it brings together
work in software engineering and artificial intelligence
[2]. Research on dependable systems should be
especially influential, as dependability covers many
relevant system properties such as reliability,
availability, safety, security, survivability and
maintainability [3]-[5].