Sensor webs are often composed of servers connected to distributed real-time embedded (DRE) systems that operate in open environments where operating conditions, workload, resource availability, and connectivity cannot be accurately characterized a priori. The South East Alaska MOnitoring Network for Science, Telecommunications, Education, and Research (SEAMONSTER) project exhibits many common system management and dynamic operation challenges for effective, autonomous system adaptation in a representative sensor web. These challenges cover both field operation (e.g., power management through system sleep/wake cycles and reaction to local environmental changes) and server operation (e.g., system adaptation for new/modified goals, resource allocation for a changing set of applications, and configuration changes for fluctuating workload). This paper presents the results of integrating and applying quality-of-service (QoS)-enabled component middleware, dynamic resource management, and autonomous agent technologies to address these challenges in SEAMONSTER.