This manuscript is the product of several years of research in Adaptive Distributed Systems. It is inspired by an inner desire to face the challenges that result from the inherent mobile, decentralised and heterogeneous nature of Mobile Ad-hoc NETworks (MANETs) in which direct links are hard to establish and maintain as opposed to wired networks. This began at Lancaster University (UK) in partnership with the University's Next Generation Middleware Group. During this time grant funded European Union (EU) projects were carried out in close collaboration with academic and industrial partners...