Agent factory: generative migration of mobile agents in heterogeneous environments

ABSTRACT

In most of today's agent systems migration of agents requires homogeneity in the programming language and/or agent platform in which an agent has been designed. In this paper an approach is presented with which heterogeneity is possible: agents can migrate between non-identical platforms, and need not be written in the same language. Instead of migrating the "code" (including data and state) of an agent, a blueprint of an agent's functionality and its state is transferred. An agent factory generates new code on the basis of this blueprint. This approach of generative mobility not only has implications for interoperability but also for security, as discussed in this paper.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
        I.2.11 Distributed Artificial Intelligence
            Subjects: Multiagent systems

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.7 Organization and Design
          Subjects: Distributed systems

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
        I.2.11 Distributed Artificial Intelligence
            Subjects: Coherence and coordination

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Experimentation, Performance

Keywords:
compositional design, mobile agents, process migration