EP1287433A2

EP1287433A2 - Agent system for mobile agents, computer network and method for downloading an agent system from a host computer to a client computer of a computer network

Info

Publication number: EP1287433A2
Application number: EP00963896A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Birgit Kreller; Matthias Reich; Björn SCHIEMANN
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 1999-08-18
Filing date: 2000-08-11
Publication date: 2003-03-05
Also published as: CN1322421C; WO2001013224A2; CN1520551A; WO2001013224A3; US6981251B1

Abstract

The invention relates to an agent system for mobile agents, to a computer network and to a method for downloading an agent system from a host computer to a client computer of a computer network. The invention is characterized in that the agent system that can be charged on a respective computer of the network is adapted corresponding to the hardware and/or the software of the computer. The inventive system facilitates the integration of small mobile computers, especially simple process computers into a network in which agent systems are installed on the individual computers without having to substantially restrict the capacity of the agent system and without having to renounce the general applicability of agent systems for small computers.

Description

description

Agent system, computer network and method for loading an agent system from a host computer to a client computer of a computer network

The invention relates to an agent system, in particular an agent system for mobile agents, a computer network with a plurality of computers networked by means of data lines, and a method for loading an agent system from a host computer to a client computer.

Agents are autonomous, cooperative software units that consist of code and data. They are independently functioning software units that do not require constant interaction with the user. There are both stationary and mobile agents.

Mobile agents are e.g. from US 5,603,031 and from the book Software Agents, Bradshaw Jeffrey, Menlo Park, California: AAAI Press / The MIT Press, 1996. The chapter in this book about mobile agents is in a slightly modified version on the Internet at http: // www. generalmagic. com / technology / techwhitepaper. html available.

Mobile agents are programs that can be active in different places in a computer network and can change their location in the computer network. Traditionally, programs on a network are loaded from one computer to another while they are not running. Mobile agents, on the other hand, are initially activated and automatically change their position in the network while they are active.

This small but fundamental difference to conventional programs has a significant impact on the way mobile agents are used on the network. The agents are on created a specific location of the network, the functions to be performed by the agent being determined so that the agent, after being transmitted to another location in the network, represents the previous location of the network and performs the corresponding functions. In this way, functions can be defined in one place of a network which are carried out in another place of the network. In principle, this is also possible with conventional systems, in which case a permanent exchange of information is necessary in the network between the two places, so that they are transferred from the place where the corresponding control processes are defined to the place where they are carried out.

The mobile agents, on the other hand, do not require any such control processes, since their functions are defined in advance and then carried out automatically. This considerably reduces the data throughput of the network, and any operations can be carried out at the locations remote from the client.

However, the agents do not always have to work completely independently of their initiator, but can set up communication channels with him or with other places in the network.

When moving from one place in a network to another place in the network, the mobile agents execute a migration command (for example “go”). Such a command requires a description of the destination, the name, address or type of the place or a combination of which the agent is to move to. Different locations do not always have to be located on different computers in the network. It is also possible that agents are active in different locations within a computer. Mobile agents can also multiply so that they perform their functions independently of one another in different places.

Mobile agents are often used to collect predetermined data, some of which is evaluated on site, so that a pre-processed result is sent to the original client.

A possible application for such mobile agents arises, for example, if a buyer of a certain item is guaranteed a low price by the seller. The buyer can then send out one or more mobile agents who independently receive corresponding offers from other providers, possibly monitor them over a certain period of time, and send them to the buyer so that he can compare them with the price offered by the seller.

Other well-known mobile agents and agent systems are offered under the names Aglets, Voyager and Concordia and can usually be obtained via the Internet.

So that the mobile agents can become active on the individual computers in the network, a so-called agent system must be present on each of these computers. An agent system is a collection of utilities that each agent needs to perform its tasks. These utilities usually include an agent manager, which is connected to other utilities, so that the active mobile agents can access the respective computer resources and can migrate from one agent system of the network to another agent system of the network via network interfaces. As a rule, an agent system control is provided, which regulates the sequence of the agent system on the respective computer. These agent systems form the places in the network where the agents can become active.

Such agent systems are usually in a platform-independent computer language, such as JAVA, written so that they can run on any computer system.

By transferring the agents on the network while they are active, a new programming paradigm is created, according to which the program code itself shifts to the data to be processed, instead of transporting data to the processing code or the processing code in the non- active state must be loaded on the respective computer.

Agents are usually relatively small programs that are sent out and take advantage of the intelligence available on site. Since mobile agents can process their jobs even when there is no permanent network connection between the individual computers, they are ideally suited for use on mobile computers, which are usually not permanently connected to a network.

The previously known agent systems are however too extensive to be installed on any simple mobile computers.

In the context of the present patent application, the term computer also includes simple process computers which are only equipped with a minimal hardware configuration (processor, memory and display). Such simple process computers are integrated, for example, on a single chip.

The invention is therefore based on the object of creating an agent system which is more familiar with the scope of functions

Can offer agent systems and is also suitable for small computers, such as small process computers. Further The invention has for its object to provide a corresponding computer network and a method for loading an agent system from a host computer to a client computer of a computer network. The tasks are solved by an agent system with the features of claim 1, a computer network with the features of claim 6 and a method with the features of claim 9. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The agent system according to the invention, which can be installed on a computer connected to a computer network, has an agent platform and an agent system controller. The agent platform comprises utilities which a mobile agent requires in order to be able to be executed on the respective computer. The agent system control includes an agent system launcher which can be loaded onto a client computer independently of the rest of the agent system and is used to load the agent system from a host computer.

The agent system according to the invention is characterized in that the agent system launcher is designed in such a way that, prior to loading an agent system, from a host computer to the client computer on which at least the agent system launcher is installed Hardware and / or software of the client computer descriptive identifier is sent to the host computer, and a server system installed on the host computer, the agent system - update program, is designed such that it is in accordance with the hardware and / or the software describing the client computer identifies an agent system adapted to the hardware and / or software of the client computer and loads it onto the client computer.

In the sense of the present invention, a host computer is any computer in the network from which an agent system can be loaded onto another computer of the present invention is referred to as a client computer. Each computer in a network can thus be a host computer and a client computer, regardless of its other function in the network.

The inventive configuration of the agent system launcher, which sends an identifier identifying the client computer to the host computer, and the inventive configuration of the agent system installed on the host computer, which compiles an adapted agent system according to this identifier and this makes it available to the client computer, it is also possible to integrate small, in particular mobile computers, which for example consist of a simple process computer or a personal digital assistant, into a computer network and to provide them with the agent system according to the invention, since this automatically switches on the respective client computer and its performance is adapted.

Typical adjustment criteria are e.g. the display (e.g.

Color picture tube, color LCD screen, b / w LCD screen, small alphanumeric LCD display or small numerical display only), the available storage space or the available storage medium (RAM, hard disk or the like) or that available on the computer system software (JAVA and its derivatives, Windows, Windows-CE, etc.).

By individually adapting the agent systems installed on the respective computer, agent systems with a correspondingly large scope of performance can be installed on computers with high performance and simplified agent systems can be installed on computers with lower performance, which are tailored specifically to the existing software and hardware, including any peripheral devices are. ⁾ G r MP * t->

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The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. The drawings show schematically in:

1 is a network over which several computers are connected, on each of which an agent system is installed,

2 shows the structure of an agent system in a block diagram, and

3 shows the method for loading an agent system from a host computer onto a client computer of a computer network in a flow chart.

1 shows a simplified schematic of a network with a plurality of computers 1 which are connected to one another via data lines 2. The computers 1 have different scope of services, that is to say that they can have different processor services, storage capacities and / or system programs. The performance of the individual computers 1 is symbolically represented by the size of the rectangle representing the respective computer 1. The computers 1 are numbered I. to IV. The computer I. can be the most powerful and the computer IV represents a mobile terminal. The data line 2 from the computer IV to the other computers is a mobile radio connection which is not permanently maintained. It is therefore shown in Fig. 1 by a dashed line.

There is an agent system AS-I on each computer 1. to AS-IV. Installed. There are some mobile agents AG-I in the network. to AG-IV., which are either arranged on one of the computers 1, or move from one to another computer (III. - II.). 2 schematically shows the structure of an agent system. The agent system has an agent platform 3 (also called a platform) which comprises the service programs which a mobile agent requires in order to be able to be executed on the respective computer 1. The agent platform 3 has two central program parts, the agent manager 4 and the communication manager 5. The communication manager 5 comprises a bulletin board 6 and several protocol managers 7, which provide the protocols for the communication of agent systems and their applications, the agent 25. The communication manager also enables agent migration. With the help of a network link 8, the protocol managers 7 enable the corresponding use of a connected network 9. Data for platform-local communication between agents can be buffered on the bulletin board 6.

The agent manager 4 has a monitoring module 10 with which internal processes relating to applications 25 connected to the agent manager 4 are monitored. The monitoring information is provided by utilities, e.g. an agent software update program 11, a user manager 12, a security manager 13, and a resource manager 14. The agent manager 4 is also connected to a permanent memory 15, which is represented, for example, by a hard disk. Configuration data and important runtime information, such as e.g. Agents, secured so that they are available again even after a temporary shutdown. In the case of small mobile computers IV, it is also common to design this read-only memory 15 as a semiconductor memory which can store data permanently, i.e. even after the computer has been switched off.

The agent manager 4 is provided with an administration interface 19 and an agent application interface 20, the agent manager 4 is connected to an agent system controller 21 via the administration interface 19, O LO NJ t 1— 'P- *

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Computer 28 is referred to, the agent system launcher 23a may be loaded. The client computer 28 must be connected via a data line 2 to at least one computer on which an agent system update program 23b is installed, so that this computer, which is referred to below as the host computer 29, also comes from there existing agent system creates a customized or scaled copy of this agent system and can be loaded onto the client computer 28. The data line 2 can be an electronic or optical cable or a radio link.

The procedure for loading and updating an agent system is carried out by the agent system launcher 23a and started in a step S1 (FIG. 3). This is followed by a query as to whether an agent system AS already exists on the computer (S2). If this query shows that no agent system already exists on the present computer, the program flow goes to step S3, which is part of a loading function 30 of the agent system launcher 23a. In step S3, an identifier identifying the hardware and / or software of the client computer 28 is sent to the host computer 29. This identifier contains information about the performance of the hardware and / or software, e.g. the size of the available memory, the type of storage medium, the type of display and the existing system programs.

On the host computer, the identifier sent by the client computer 28 is evaluated in a step S4 and an agent system is compiled in accordance with the identifier in a step S5. The agent system is adapted by adding or omitting suitable / required or unnecessary components and by configuring and scaling the selected components for the hardware and software present on the client computer 28. In addition, the components are configured with regard to their dynamic complexity, which is essentially based on the size of data structures. In addition to the agent manager and the communication manager LO LO K) P »'

(_π O Lπ σ Lπ O Lπ

is driven. If the agent system is not in operation, it is started in step S8 and the agent system launcher 23a is ended in step S9. If the agent system is already in operation, the program flow goes directly to step S9, with which the agent system launcher 23a is ended.

If the check in step S15 shows that an update of the agent system is permitted, the program flow goes to step S17, with which it is checked whether the agent system is in operation.

If the agent system is in operation, step S13 (shutdown sequence) is called in step S18 to end the operation of the agent system. A program loop that follows (step S19) queries whether the operation of the agent system has already ended. The program flow is not transferred to a step S20 until the operation of the agent system has ended.

If the query in step S17 shows that the agent system is not in operation, the program flow can pass directly to step S20.

Step S20 sends a version identifier to the host computer 29. The version identifier contains the information about the versions of the agent system and its components installed on the client computer 28.

The version identifications are evaluated on the host computer 29 in step S21 and version information of the latest agent system and its components that can be loaded by the host computer and its components are sent to the client computer in the following step S22. Then, in step S23, the client's own version IDs are compared with the version information and the host on the client computer 28 and a check is carried out to determine whether the respective version that can be loaded by the host computer is more current than the version of the agent system and its version on the client computer Components is. If the check shows that the version that can be loaded by the host computer 29 is more current, the program flow is transferred to step S3, which in turn sends an identifier identifying the hardware and / or software of the client computer 28 to the host computer , whereupon the latter compiles an agent system adapted to this and sends it to the client computer 28. If, on the other hand, the query in step S23 shows that the versions that can be loaded by the host computer are not more current than the versions of the agent system and its components that are on the client computer, the program flow is transferred to step S8, with which the agent system is started , This means that the entire agent system or, if necessary, only parts of it (in operation) can be updated.

Steps S20 and S23 form an update function 31 with which the agent system launcher 23a carries out the update of an existing agent system.

The method according to the invention for loading an agent system is carried out by the agent system launcher 23a. The agent system launcher can be started manually at any time, regardless of whether an agent system is present or not or whether the agent system is in operation or not. The agent system launcher 23a can also be activated automatically when it is first loaded onto a computer or when a computer is started. If there is already a complete agent system, the agent system launcher 23a can be controlled directly by the user or by the administration program 22, the administration program 22 being able to call it repeatedly, thereby ensuring that the agent system is updated regularly and as required.

A host computer 29 permanently connected to a network can be provided to manage the agent systems of a plurality of mobile client computers 28. For example, on a small mobile computer, the client computer 28 black and white screen, an agent system is started, then the host computer 29 sends a request to the client computer 28 and in the process also transfers the current data about its resources (for example b / w screen, 8 MB RAM, maximum number that can be displayed) Windows on the screen, existing Java virtual machine, graphic representation of characters, user management functionality of the agent system for one or more users, ...). The host computer 29 uses this information to put together an agent system in which, for example, there is a Java class for printing specifically on b / w devices. The equivalent class for printing on devices with a color screen or a screen that can only display ASCII characters would have been different. Depending on a Java Virtual Machine (Personal Java, JDKl.x, 1.2, ...) available on the client computer 28, the corresponding classes are automatically put together. If only one user, in contrast to several, is to be managed, the corresponding class that the user management provides is also correspondingly smaller and has a lower resource requirement on the client computer 28.

The agent system according to the invention can optionally be provided with a function which automatically checks the hardware and / or software of the respective computer and, if necessary, starts the launcher 23a. As a result, the agent system can be dynamically adapted to changes in hardware and / or software. This function can be implemented by step S24 shown in FIG. 3, which follows step S17. In step S24, it is checked whether the hardware and / or software has been changed since the agent system was last updated. If such a change is determined, the program flow goes directly to step S3, with which a corresponding identifier is sent to the host computer 29. If such a change is not found, the program goes to the step

S20 over and is processed according to the description above. The programs on which the agent systems according to the invention are based can be stored and distributed on electronically readable data memories.

Claims

claims

1. Agent system, which can be installed on computers connected to a computer network, with - an agent platform (3), which includes utilities which an agent (25) needs in order to be able to be executed on the respective computer (1), an agent - System controller (21), which has an agent system launcher (23a) which can be loaded onto a client computer (28) independently of the rest of the agent system and is used to load the agent system from a host computer (29), characterized in that the agent system launcher (23a) is designed such that before loading an agent system from a host computer (29) to the client computer (28) on which at least the agent system launcher (23a ) is installed, an identifier identifying the hardware and / or software of the client computer (28) is sent to the host computer (29), and an agent system update program (23b) installed on the host computer (29) d is designed so that it compiles an agent system adapted to the hardware and / or software of the client computer (28) in accordance with the identifier identifying the hardware and / or the software of the client computer (28) and this to the client computer (28) transmitted.

2. Agent system according to claim 1, so that the agent system launcher (23a) is designed both for loading a complete agent system (reinstalling an agent system) and for loading parts of an agent system (updating an agent system).

3. Agent system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the agent system launcher (23a) has a function for querying the hardware and / or software of the client computer (28) to generate the corresponding identifier.

4. Agent system according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the agent system launcher (23a) has a function for comparing the version identifier of an agent system installed on the client computer (28) with the version identifier of the host computer (29) loadable agent system.

5. Agent system according to one of claims 1 to 4, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the agent system is an agent system for mobile agents.

6. Computer network with several computers networked by means of data lines, g e k e n n e e c h n e t d u r c h, an agent system with the features of one of claims 1 to 5, which is installed on several computers (1) of the computer network (9).

7. Computer network according to claim 6, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that at least one of the computers (1) is a mobile computer.

8. Computer network according to claim 7, so that the mobile computer is connected by means of a non-permanent data line (2) to the computer network (9).

9. Method for loading an agent system from a host computer (29) onto a client computer (28) of a computer network (9), an agent system update program (23b) on the host computer (29) and on the client computer (28) at least one agent system launcher (23a) is installed, the agent system launcher (23a) of the client computer (28) carrying an agent system from the host computer (29) to the client computer (28) loading, characterized in that the agent system launcher (23a) sends an identifier identifying the hardware and / or software of the client computer to the host computer (29) before loading the agent system, and that the agent system update Program (23b) of the

Host computer (29) compiles an agent system adapted to the hardware and / or software of the client computer (28) in accordance with the identifier identifying the hardware and / or the software of the client computer (28) and this to the client computer (28) transmitted.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the agent system launcher (23a) first checks whether an agent system is already installed on the client computer (28), and if an agent system is installed, checks (S15) whether one Update is possible or necessary, and whether the agent system is in operation (S16, S17), and if an update is possible or required and the agent system is in operation, the operation of the agent system is ended (S18) so that it can be updated.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized by a function (30) for loading an agent system from a host computer, when called up the client computer (28) sends an identifier to the host computer (28) (S3) and then the agent system sent by the host computer (29) receives (S7).

12. The method according to claim 11, characterizeddurc, a function (31) for updating the agent system, which determines whether an update should be carried out if an agent system is already installed on the client computer (28).

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the function (31) for updating the agent system first checks whether an update is possible in principle, and if an update is possible, it sends a version identifier to the host computer (29), the sends version information of the latest agent system loadable from the host computer (29) to the client computer (28), whereupon the version identifier is compared with the version information (S14), and if the comparison reveals that that from the host -Computer (29) loadable version is more current than the version of the agent system located on the client computer (28), the program flow is transferred to the function for loading the agent system.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that it is checked in the comparison whether the individual parts of the agent system that can be called up on the host computer (29) are more current than those of the client computer (28), with possibly only individual parts of the Agent system can be updated by the loading function (30).

15. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that the identifier is an indication of the size of the memory of the client computer, the type of display, the typical processing speed of the type of network that can be used and / or the type of used System software includes.