Olga Ratsimor

Allia: alliance-based service discovery for ad-hoc environments

Static directory based service discovery is unsuitable for m-commerce in ad-hoc environments. In this paper, we present Allia: a peer-to-peer caching based and policy-driven agent-service discovery framework to facilitate cross-platform service discovery in ad-hoc environments for mobile electronic commerce applications. Our approach removes the problems associated with structured compound formation of agent communities in mobile commerce environment and achieves high degree of flexibility in adapting itself to the changes of the ad-hoc environment. Our framework takes into consideration device capabilities and limitations, user preferences regarding usage of the devices, application specifics with respect to mobile commerce and adapts accordingly. We also present an initial implementation of Allia over ThinkPads and iPAQs by extending the LEAP Agent Platform and using Bluetooth as the underlying network protocol.

Agents2Go: an infrastructure for location-dependent service discovery in the mobile electronic commerce environment

In recent years, the growth of Electronic Commerce and Mobile Computing has created a new concept of Mobile Electronic Commerce. In this paper we describe the Agents2Go System that attempts to solve problems related to location dependence that arise in a Mobile Electronic Commerce environment. Agents2Go is a distributed system that provides mobile users with the ability to obtain location dependent services and information. Our system also automatically obtains a users current geographical location in CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) based systems without relying on external aids such as GPS (Global Positioning System).

Service discovery in agent-based pervasive computing environments

Directory based service discovery mechanisms are unsuitable for ad-hoc m-commerce environments. Working towards finding an alternate mechanism, we developed Allia: a peer-to-peer caching based and policy-driven agent-service discovery framework that facilitates cross-platform service discovery in ad-hoc environments. Our approach achieves a high degree of flexibility in adapting itself to changes in ad-hoc environments and is devoid of common problems associated with structured compound formation in mobile commerce environments. Device capabilities and limitations, user preferences regarding device usage, application specifics with respect to mobile commerce are factors that our framework adapts to. We have described our initial implementation of Allia over ThinkPads and iPAQs by extending the LEAP Agent Platform and using Bluetooth as the underlying network protocol. In addition, we evaluated Allias performance by running simulations of our protocol in Glomosim simulator. We also compared our framework against a structured compound-based architecture.

Utilizing Semantic Tags for Policy Based Networking

Policy based networks provide high levels of flexibility by allowing definition of packet handling rules within a network, resource allocation strategies, network management, or access control. Commonly used policy specification mechanisms are, however, limited in their expressibility and rely mostly on packet headers that convey limited information about the semantics of the content. We propose a new model for policy based networking that utilizes the W3C Web Ontology Language tags carried in data packets that can provide detailed semantic information about the packet or stream. Using this model, a policy decision point can reason over these tags and infer the correct set of operations to invoke. Policies are expressed in the W3C Semantic Web Rule Language using a common ontology and take into consideration the content of the streams, relevant contextual information and external domain constraints. Using this framework, fine grained, highly specialized services can be offered within the network that are context-aware, easy to manage, deploy and verify for consistency.

Using peer-to-peer data routing for infrastructure-based wireless networks

A mobile ad-hoc network is an autonomous system of mobile routers that are self-organizing and completely decentralized with no requirements for dedicated infrastructure support. Wireless infrastructure in terms of base stations is often available in many popular areas offering highspeed data connectivity to a wired network. In this paper we describe an approach where infrastructure components utilize passing by mobile nodes to route data to other devices that are out of range. In our scheme, base stations track user mobility and determine data usage patterns of users as they pass by. Based on this, base stations predict the future data needs for a passing mobile device. These base stations then collaborate (over the wired network) to identify other mobile devices with spare capacity whose routes intersect that of a needy device and use these carriers to transport the needed data. When such a carrier meets a needy device, they form ad hoc peer-to-peer communities to transfer this data. In this paper, we describe the motivation behind our approach and the different component interactions. We present the results of simulation work that we have done to validate the viability of our approach. We also describe, Numi, our framework for supporting collaborative infrastructure and ad hoc computing along with a sample application built on top of this highlighting the benefits of our proposed approach.

INTELLIGENT AGENTS FOR MOBILE AND EMBEDDED DEVICES

The pervasive computing environments of the near future will involve the interactions, coordination and cooperation of numerous, casually accessible, and often invisible computing devices. These devices, whether carried on our person or embedded in our homes, businesses and classrooms, will connect via wireless and wired links to one another and to the global networking infrastructure. The result will be a networking milieu with a new level of openness. The localized and dynamic nature of their interactions raises many new issues that draw on and challenge the disciplines of agents, distributed systems, and security. This paper describes recent work by the UMBC Ebiquity research group which addresses some of these issues.