Coordination of Internet Agents

by Omicini, Andrea; Zambonelli, Franco; Klusch, Matthias; Tolksdorf, Robert

• ISBN13: 9783540416135
• ISBN10: 3540416137
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-05-01
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc

Summary

As today's most complex computing environment, the Internet confronts IT researchers, system designers, and application developers with completely new challenges and, as a fascinating new computing paradigm, agent technology has recently attracted broad interest and strong hopes for shaping the future information society. Relating both, the Internet and agents, opens up a whole new range of advanced applications in vibrant subfields of information technology such as middleware, mobile commerce, e-learning, collaborative working, and intelligent information services. Many modern advanced systems are likely to exploit Internet agents - and exploiting Internet agents mostly means dealing with coordination models and technologies of various sorts. This monograph-like anthology is the first systematic guide to models and enabling technologies for the coordination of intelligent agents on the Internet and respective applications.

Table of Contents

Part I. Coordination Models and Languages: State of the Art
Introduction	3	(3)
Coordination Models: A Guided Tour	6	(19)
Nadia Busi
Paolo Ciancarini
Roberto Gorrieri abd
Gianluigi Zavattaro
Introduction and Motivation	6	(3)
The Starting Point: The Dataspace Model for Coordinating Agents	9	(3)
Extending the Coordination Primitives	12	(5)
Reshaping the Coordination Media	17	(4)
Programming the Coordination Rules	21	(2)
Conclusions	23	(2)
Models and Technologies for the Coordination of Internet Agents: A Survey	25	(36)
George A. Papadopoulos
Introduction	25	(3)
Basic Coordination Infrastructure	28	(10)
Coordination Frameworks	38	(11)
Logical Coordination	49	(5)
Conclusions	54	(5)
Part II. Basic Enabling Technologies
Introduction	59	(2)
Run-Time Systems for Coordination	61	(22)
Antony Rowstron
Introduction	61	(1)
Coordination Systems in General	62	(2)
Taxonomy of Tuple-based Run-time Systems	64	(3)
LAN and Parallel Computing Implementations: The First and Second Generation	67	(2)
Open Implementation Techniques	69	(5)
Adding Explicit Information to Linda Programs	74	(1)
From LAN to WAN: The Third Generation	75	(4)
The Future: The Tuple Mega-Server?	79	(3)
Conclusions	82	(1)
Tuple-based Technologies for Coordination	83	(27)
Davide Rossi
Giacomo Cabri
Enrico Denti
The Origins	83	(2)
Towards Open Distributed Systems: A Taxonomy for Lindaderived Systems	85	(3)
Systems Extending Primitives	88	(9)
Systems Adding Programmability	97	(8)
Systems Modifying the Model	105	(4)
Conclusions	109	(1)
Middleware Technologies: CORBA and Mobile Agents	110	(43)
Paolo Bellavista
Thomas Magedanz
Middleware Technologies for Open and Global Distributed Systems	110	(4)
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)	114	(8)
Mobile Agents	122	(7)
Middleware Technologies: The Integration of MA and CORBA	129	(10)
CORBA-MA Integrated Supports: Grasshopper and SOMA	139	(12)
Concluding Remarks	151	(2)
Agent Coordination via Scripting Languages	153	(30)
Jean-Guy Schneider
Markus Lumpe
Oscar Nierstrasz
Introduction	153	(2)
A Conceptual Framework for Software Composition	155	(5)
Scripting Languages at a Glance	160	(7)
Scripting in Practice	167	(7)
Summary, Conclusions	174	(5)
Part III. High-Level Enabling Coordination Technologies
Introduction	179	(4)
Coordinating Agents Using Agent Communication Languages Conversations	183	(14)
R. Scott Cost
Yannis Labrou
Tim Finin
Introduction	183	(2)
From Agent Communication Languages to Conversation Protocols	185	(2)
Coordination using Conversation Protocols	187	(1)
Modeling Conversation Protocols with Colored Petri Nets	188	(5)
Advantages for Coordination when using CPN-described Conversations	193	(1)
Related Work	194	(1)
Conclusions	195	(2)
Brokering and Matchmaking for Coordination of Agent Societies: A Survey	197	(28)
Matthias Klusch
Katia Sycara
Introduction	197	(1)
Coordination of Agent Societies via Middle-Agents	198	(14)
Examples of Coordination via Service Matchmaking and Brokering	212	(11)
Conclusions	223	(2)
Agent Naming and Coordination: Actor Based Models and Infrastructures	225	(28)
Gul Agha
Nadeem Jamali
Carlos Varela
Introduction	225	(2)
Actors and Agents	227	(3)
Naming in Open Systems	230	(4)
World Wide Computer Prototype	234	(4)
Multiagent Coordination	238	(7)
Discussion	245	(4)
Part IV. Emerging Issues of Coordination
Introduction	249	(4)
Coordination and Mobility	253	(21)
Gruia-Catalin Roman
Amy L. Murphy
Gian Pietro Picco
Introduction	253	(2)
Mobility Issues	255	(8)
Coordination Constructs	263	(9)
Conclusions	272	(2)
Coordination and Security on the Internet	274	(25)
Ciaran Bryce
Marco Cremonini
Introduction	274	(1)
A Reference Architecture for Secure Coordination	275	(4)
Security Policies	279	(9)
Cryptographic Protocols in Coordination Models	288	(3)
Security in Existing Coordination Systems	291	(6)
Conclusions	297	(2)
Scalability in Linda-like Coordination Systems	299	(27)
Ronaldo Menezes
Robert Tolksdorf
Alan M. Wood
Introduction	299	(2)
Domain Awareness	301	(5)
Location and Distance Awareness	306	(6)
Fluctuation Awareness	312	(3)
Failure Awareness	315	(3)
Conclusions	318	(5)
Part V. Applications of Coordination Technology
Introduction	323	(3)
Agent-Oriented Software Engineering for Internet Applications	326	(21)
Franco Zambonelli
Nicholas R. Jennings
Andrea Omicini
Michael J. Wooldridge
Introduction	326	(2)
Engineering Multi-Agent Systems on the Internet	328	(5)
Software Engineering Methodologies for MAS	333	(6)
Exploiting a Coordination Model	339	(4)
Toward a Coordination-oriented Methodology	343	(2)
Conclusions and Future Work	345	(2)
Reusable Patterns for Agent Coordination	347	(22)
Dwight Deugo
Michael Weiss
Elizabeth Kendall
Software Patterns	348	(2)
Global Forces of Coordination	350	(4)
Blackboard Pattern	354	(3)
Meeting Pattern	357	(4)
Market Maker Pattern	361	(2)
Master-Slave Pattern	363	(2)
Negotiating Agents Pattern	365	(3)
Summary	368	(1)
Inter-Organizational Workflows for Enterprise Coordination	369	(30)
Monica Divitini
Chihab Hanachi
Christophe Sibertin-Blanc
Inter-Organizational Coordination	369	(4)
Overview of Main Concepts of Workflow	373	(7)
Inter-Organizational Workflow Requirements: A Framework for Studying IOW	380	(7)
Two Comprehensive Approaches for IOW	387	(10)
Conclusions	397	(2)
Constraints Solving as the Coordination of Inference Engines	399	(27)
Eric Monfroy
Farhad Arbab
A Generic Approach to Coordination-based Constraint Solving	399	(7)
A Solver Cooperation Language	406	(8)
Design of a Constraint Solver	414	(5)
Conclusion	419	(4)
Part VI. Visions
Introduction	423	(3)
A Market-Based Model for Resource Allocation in Agent Systems	426	(17)
Jonathan Bredin
David Kotz
Daniela Rus
Rajiv T. Maheswaran
Cagri Imer
Tamer Basar
Introduction	426	(1)
Markets	427	(1)
Secure Transactions	428	(3)
Allocation Mechanism	431	(4)
Simulation	435	(5)
Related Work	440	(1)
Conclusions	441	(2)
Coordination and Control in Computational Ecosystems: A Vision of the Future	443	(28)
Rune Gustavsson
Martin Fredriksson
Introduction	443	(1)
Towards Computational Ecosystems	444	(2)
Smart E-Services to Achieve Customer Satisfaction	446	(8)
Coordination and Control in Ecosystems	454	(1)
Methodological Issues and the Engineering of Ecosystems	454	(4)
ORA: Merging of the Real and Virtual	458	(7)
SOLACE: A Layered ORA Architecture	465	(4)
Conclusions	469	(2)
References	471	(38)
About the Authors	509	(10)
List of Contributors	519