A Communication Model for Distributed Agents
Bora İ Kumova1998, … in computer and information sciences' 98: …
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Abstract
Effective co-operation among agents requires a common communication language. In the past, research on software agents concentrated on agent architectures, problem-specific agent types, and general agent properties. Since, research on agent co-operation was problem-oriented or domainspecific, there is still a wide gap between the various existing software agent models. The lack of communication standards prevents from effective agent co-operation. In this work we present the first results of an ongoing research that aimed at defining a formal language for agent communication and experimenting with it in a prototype, with the goal to identify general properties of an agent communication language. These properties than can serve as a basis for related standards. We present our work first by discussing the status quo of software agents in short and by referring to related technologies, such as distributed objects. Thereafter, general agent architecture, agent properties, common agent types, and agent communication languages are analysed. We introduce the agent communication language AgentCom and present its experimental utilisation in the prototype CourseMan, which is responsible for managing courses in a distributed environment. Through learning by observation of sample transactions, we present how the language semantics of AgentCom can be improved in CourseMan. Finally, general properties of agent communication languages and distributed objects are compared with each other. * This paper was published at ISCIS'98.
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