Object-oriented framework for generic adaptive control

A system and method are described for constructing and implementing generic software agents for automated tuning of computer systems and applications. The framework defines the modules and interfacesto allow agents to be created in a modular fashion. The specifics of the target system 260 are captured by adaptors 230 that provide a uniform interface to the target system 260. Data in the agent ismanaged by a metric manager 240, and controller modules implement the desired control algorithms. The modular structure and common interfaces allow for the construction of generic agents that are applicable to a wide variety of target systems, and can use a wide variety of control algorithms.