Anthony Sang-Bum Park

An agent-based middleware – a solution for terminal and user mobility

Abstract Mobile agents have been identified as a high-potential technology for many application areas. One very promising domain for mobile agent deployment is mobile information access and management. Here, mobile agents promise an increased performance as well as enhanced user mobility through their ability of asynchronous, disconnected operations. However, concrete concepts for the realisation of such an agent-based user mobility are still to be delivered. Therefore, the focus in this paper is on the architecture and the agent environment design that allows terminal mobility as well as user mobility. We propose a distributed directory service like X.500 as an agent directory containing the descriptions of services available in a system, as well as the locations of the corresponding agents. A second directory structure functions as a database for terminal and user profiles. Together with concepts for mobile agent management presented in this paper, these two directories support an agent based middleware which serves as a basis for user mobility. In the following, the concepts of this mobility-supporting middleware enabled through mobile agent technology are explained.

Stationary vs. Mobile User Agents in Future Mobile Telecommunication Networks

Third generation mobile networks will be characterized by service variety and multi-provider-scenarios, requiring new concepts for service control and location management. Mobile agents seem to be appropriate for service customization and user localization. However, it is very unclear whether or not their migration costs lead to an overload of the underlying signaling network. This paper answers the question whether the use of mobile agents in telecommunication systems makes sense at all, by analytically comparing a conventional stationary concept with mobile agents. These analyses are based on various call and movement behavior patterns of mobile customers, and on measurement results achieved in the mobile agent system JAE.

A Multi-Agent Architecture Supporting Service Access

This paper proposes a multi-agent system comprising of mobile agents communicating with a fixed infrastructure of agent servers. This script-based multi-agent system enables easy access to Internet services and combines remote execution to support mobile users and migration of agents within the agent server network. Such an environment offers a higher degree of flexibility and efficiency to the user by performing much of the work on the server located in the fixed network. The focus of this paper lies on the description of the agent server architecture and the agent definition methods.

JAE - A Multi-Agent System with Internet Services Access

Mobile agents offer unique opportunities for structuring and implementing open distributed systems. This new paradigm is an alternative to Remote Procedure Calls used in client/server systems. Consequently a wide range of applications are perfectly suitable to be implemented through mobile agent technology, e.g. electronic commerce. This paper introduces the Java Agent Environment — JAE, a multi-agent system comprised of mobile agents communicating with a fixed infrastructure of agent servers making services provided through the Internet accessible. An important constituent of this architecture is the exploitation of existing trader systems.

Mobile Middleware: Additional Functionalities to Cover Wireless Terminals

The main goal of middleware is to offer applications an interface that allows a common view on underlying heterogeneous networks and operating systems. Especially the merging of fixed and wireless networks requires well-defined components of the middleware that cover services which permit applications co-ordinated use of network and operating system resources. Regarding wireless networks it is necessary to take into consideration the variety of possible mobile terminals which are designed according to different requirements. This paper focuses on the architecture of Mobile Middleware and highlights the required services taking into account different terminal characteristics that are going to be used in the future UMTS.

Mobility Support with a Mobile Agent System

This paper describes the first results and the architectural design decisions of the AMASE project, which addresses the agent technology task of the ACTS third call. The main research interest of the project is to provide the user mobility as a benefit of a mobile agent system. Therefore, the focus in this paper is on the design of a mobile agent system and its environment that meets the demand of high mobility in heterogeneous wireless and fixed networks. We propose a modular agent system to support adaptation and scaling of the system to different devices and network environments. Mobile agents are suitable excellently to realize the user mobility with their capability to operate disconnected. Additional components like an agent launcher and an agent directory are necessary to ensure the autonomous work of mobile agents. First measurements done within a testbed of such a mobile agent system stress the feasibility of the proposed architecture.