集成Agent技术和软件工程技术

为了满足日益复杂应用的软件开发需求,近年来Agent技术研究的一项重要趋势是与软件工程技术相结合.讨论了集成Agent技术和软件工程技术的背景和需求;介绍了正在开展的基于组织抽象和Caste机制的面向Agent软件工程研究.该项工作的特点是借助于组织学的高层抽象和概念来支持基于Agent系统的分析、建模和体系结构设计,将Caste视为支持基于Agent系统实现的基本模块构件,并建立沟通这二者之间的技术桥梁.     

从面向Agent的组织模型到Caste模型的转换方法

在面向Agent的软件工程领域,组织思想已被广泛用于指导基于Agent系统的开发,它提供了抽象的概念和直观的模型对基于Agent系统进行描述和分析.然而,如何将高层的、现实世界中的组织模型转换为底层的、计算机世界中的实现模型仍然是一项具有挑战性的研究课题.提出了一种从面向Agent的组织模型到面向Agent的实现模型的转换方法,将Caste视为设计和实现基于Agent系统的基本模块和编程单元,提供了支持从组织模型到Caste模型转换的过程、步骤和策略.     

面向CBSD的软件体系结构六视图模型研究

基于构件的软件开发是在一定构件模型的支持下,复用构件库中的一个或多个软件构件,通过组合构件来构造应用软件系统的开发过程.但是,目前CBSD仅仅在实现层次上支持构件交互,缺乏一套系统的方法来指导整个开发过程.对此,文章提出了一种面向CBSD的软件体系结构六视图模型,为系统的设计与实现提供参考模型和技术指导,并将其运用到图书馆系统的设计中.     

ABC:基于体系结构、面向构件的软件开发方法

基于构件的软件复用和开发被认为是提高软件开发效率和质量的有效途径,并在分布式系统中得到了广泛的应用.但是,目前的软件构件技术主要还是着眼于构件实现模型和运行时互操作,缺乏一套系统的方法以指导整个开发过程.近年来,以构件为基本单元的软件体系结构研究取得了较大的发展.它通过对软件系统整体结构和特性的描述,为面向构件的软件开发提供了一个自顶向下的途径.介绍了一种以软件体系结构为指导,面向构件的软件开发方法,试图为基于构件的软件复用提供一种有效的解决方案.这种方法主要是将软件体系结构引入到软件开发的各个阶段,作为系统开发的蓝图,利用工具支持的自动转换机制缩小从高层设计到实现的距离,而后在构件平台的运行支持下实现自动的系统组装生成.     

面向CBSD的软件体系结构模型研究

基于构件的软件开发（简称CBSD）是在一定构件模型的支持下,复用构件库中的一个或多个软件构件,通过组合构件来构造应用软件系统的开发过程。但是,目前CBSD关注的重点局限在二进制构件的规范上,仅仅提供了在实现层次上支持构件交互的基础机制．缺乏一套系统的方法来指导整个开发过程。为此提出了一种面向CBSD的软件体系结构六视图模型,为系统的设计与实现提供了参考模型和技术指导。并将该视图模型应用到图书馆管理系统的体系结构描述中。     

面向CBSD的软件体系结构模型研究

基于构件的软件开发(简称CBSD)是在一定构件模型的支持下,复用构件库中的一个或多个软件构件,通过组合构件来构造应用软件系统的开发过程。但是,目前CBSD关注的重点局限在二进制构件的规范上,仅仅提供了在实现层次上支持构件交互的基础机制,缺乏一套系统的方法来指导整个开发过程。为此提出了一种面向CBSD的软件体系结构六视图模型,为系统的设计与实现提供了参考模型和技术指导。并将该视图模型应用到图书馆管理系统的体系结构描述中。     

自适应多Agent系统的面向Agent软件开发方法学ODAM

面向Agent软件工程被视为是一种可有效支持复杂系统开发的新颖软件开发范型.为支持复杂多Agent系统的开发,面向Agent软件工程的研究需发挥Agent技术的潜力和灵活性,借鉴软件工程领域已取得的成果,提出了一个面向Agent软件开发方法学ODAM以支持自适应多Agent系统的开发.ODAM以动态绑定机制作为自适应多Agent系统的核心机制,借助于组织学的概念和思想对自适应多Agent系统进行高层抽象和自然建模,以管理和控制系统的复杂度;集成了迭代开发和MDA方法以适应Agent技术平台的多样性,简化复杂自适应系统的开发.介绍了ODAM的方法学框架和具体的技术细节,包括动态绑定机制、基于组织抽象的元模型和建模语言、基于迭代开发和MDA的软件开发过程,并进行了案例分析.     

基于组织的面向Agent 程序设计及其语言Oragent

当前,面向Agent程序设计在支持动态开放多Agent系统开发方面存在一系列的不足,如缺乏高层抽象、底层实现模型与高层设计模型相脱节、在支持系统动态性方面缺乏有效的运行机制和语言设施等.针对这些问题,提出一种基于组织的面向Agent程序设计方法.该方法将组织、Group、角色和Agent等高层抽象作为一阶实体,缩小了多Agent系统的设计模型与实现模型之间的概念鸿沟;借助于组织学中的机制——角色扮演机制、基于角色的交互——支持系统动态性的规约和实现,如Agent行为的动态组合、动态的交互等,基于该程序设计思想,设计了基于组织的面向Agent程序设计语言——Oragent,定义了其抽象语法和形式语义,并通过案例分析说明了如何基于该程序设计思想和Oragent语言来构造和实现动态而灵活的多Agent系统.     

基于AOP的软件体系结构适应性研究

软件连接件作为软件体系结构的重要组成部分,负责构件间的交互,对软件体系结构的适应性有重要影响.本文在面向方面软件开发和基于构件软件开发相结合的基础上,针对系统体系结构的适应性,将面向方面编程(AOP)方法引入到软件连接件中,然后提出面向方面连接件概念及其模型,最后归纳AOP技术对软件体系结构适应性的改善.     

浅谈面向Agent的软件工程

首先阐述了Agent的定义,分析了面向Agent与面向对象的区别。然后结合面向Agent的特点提出了面向Agent的软件体系结构,包括Agent的内部结构和基于Agent的软件体系结构,对已有的面向Agent软件开发方法进行了系统的分类,其中包括基于知识工程,基于对象技术和基于角色模型等。最后,举例说明并分析了面向Agent技术的应用前景。     

基于软件体系结构的Agent规约和演化

借助软件体系结构描述语言C2的表达能力，基于组件，连接体和体系结构配置3要素，研究适合于Agent规约和构造的组合方法，以软件体系结构的类型化理论为基础，探讨了基于子类型关系的Agent演化，用扩充关系表达有相互关联的不同类型的Agent之间的关系，通过为遗留代码定做包装器，领域翻译器以及相应的界面和约束，将非Agent实体迁移为Agent，相关案例说明结合组合，基于子类型关系的演化，扩充，迁移等方法，可以满足多Agent系统构造过程中Agent类型的多样性。     

ADK: An Agent Development Kit Based on a Formal Design Model for Multi-Agent Systems

The advent of multi-agent systems has brought us opportunities for the development of complex software that will serve as the infrastructure for advanced distributed applications. During the past decade, there have been many agent architectures proposed for implementing agent-based systems, and also a few efforts to formally specify agent behaviors. However, research on narrowing the gap between agent formal models and agent implementation is rare. In this paper, we propose a model-based approach to designing and implementing intelligent agents for multi-agent systems (MAS). Instead of using formal methods for the purpose of specifying agent behavior, we bring formal methods into the design phase of the agent development life cycle. Specifically, we use the formalism called agent-oriented G-net model, which is based on the G-net formalism (a type of high-level Petri net), to serve as the high-level design for intelligent agents. Based on the high-level design, we further derived the agent architecture and the detailed design for agent implementation. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, we developed the toolkit called ADK (Agent Development Kit) that supports rapid development of intelligent agents for multi-agent systems and we discuss the role of inheritance in agent-oriented development. As a potential solution for automated software development, we summarize the procedure to generate a model-based design of application-specific agents. Finally, to illustrate an application built on ADK, we present an air-ticket trading example.     

The model-based product agent: A control oriented architecture for intelligent products in multi-agent manufacturing systems

The multi-agent control strategy has been previously shown to improve the flexibility of complex, dynamic manufacturing systems. One key component of this strategy is the product agent. The product agent is responsible for autonomously guiding a physical part in the manufacturing system based on its production goals. Though the product agent has been described in previous works, a fully developed software architecture for the product agent that uses a model-based optimization approach has not been proposed. In this work, a product agent architecture with the capabilities to explore the local environment, plan and schedule events based on its knowledge, and request desired actions from the resources in the system is presented and tested.     

GEAMAS: A Generic Architecture for Agent-Oriented Simulations of Complex Processes

This paper's object is to present the results of the GEAMAS project which aims at modeling and simulating natural complex systems. GEAMAS is a generic architecture of agents used to study the behavior emergence in such systems. It is a multiagent program meant to develop simulation applications. Modeling complex systems requires to reduce, to organize the system complexity and to describe suitable components. Complexity of the system can then be tackled with an agent-oriented approach, where interactions lead to a global behavior. This approach helps in understanding how non-determinist behavior can emerge from interactions between agents, which is near of self-organized criticality used to explain natural phenomena. In the Applied Artificial Intelligence context, this paper presents an agent software architecture using a model of agent. This architecture is composed of three abstract levels over which the complexity is distributed and reduced. The architecture is implemented in ReActalk, an open agent-oriented development tool, which was developed on top of Smalltalk-80. To illustrate our purpose and to validate the architecture, a simulation program to help in predicting volcanic eruptions was investigated. This program was run over a period of one year and has given many satisfying results unattainable up to there with more classical approaches.     

SOFTWARE AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR EVALUATING MULTI-AGENT FRAMEWORKS

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, multi-agent frameworks allow to implement very complex systems by means of agent technology. However, this complexity makes it more difficult to evaluate software and runtime characteristics of multiagent systems (MAS). Our aim is to define and study some quantitative measures to measure MAS aspects like development time, reusability, scalability, etc. These measures could be used by engineers to guide the selection among several MAS frameworks. Our study has been carried out in several MAS frameworks like JADE, JATLite, SkeletonAgent, and ZEUS, which have been used to build a MAS application for news retrieval.     

An application perspective evaluation of multi-agent system in versatile environments

Multi-agent systems (MAS) based computing is the most appropriate paradigm for the problem domain, where data, control, expertise or resources are distributed and also it is interesting to the user only if the technologies address the issues of interest to the user. The MAS has the hypothesis that the agent based computing offers better approach to manage the complex systems and process. They are large-scale systems and collaborate with one another to achieve their functions in a highly modular and flexible way. In this point of view, the work presented in this paper is an enhanced attempt to validate the MAS based on application perspective. As a test-bed, a distributed MAS for software testing is constructed such that to provide a hybrid testing environment based on variety of agents, which possibly incorporate several testing techniques. The developed framework is validated on two perspectives namely, efficiency of the application domain, i.e. software testing using MAS and efficiency of the proposed framework. The validation of the later case has been carried out on two conditions: regular working environment and exceptional working environment. The second type of validation provided the guidelines for implementing proper exception handling mechanism in the enhanced MAS, which is being developed for software testing Purpose.     

A framework for the design and automated implementation of communication aspects in multi-agent systems

This paper presents REFCON, a framework for the automated development of Agent Communication Contexts (ACCs) in multi-agent systems (MASs). ACCs are intended to capture the interaction requirements of a MAS.A formal specification framework is first presented, aimed at modelling an ACC as a set of rules for filtering and filling messages, based on their contents, and the names and roles of the exchanging agents. A XML-based specification language is then introduced, which encodes the specification formalism for the sake of its computer processing. Finally, an object-oriented software architecture capable of supporting ACC-based MAS development is presented.REFCON key characteristic is that it allows a seamless integration of ACC support (even) into an existing MAS, at run-time, independently of the agent platform used for the implementation. This is made possible by a layered software architecture based on computational reflection, a technology that allows transparent evolution and adaptation of existing systems. The REFCON framework is also dynamic, in the two-fold sense that it is capable of both adding new rules and handling multiple contexts, which it can easily switch among, at run-time. The ACC-based design of an example MAS for document sharing is briefly discussed, as a demonstration of the principles put forward.     

面向哈佛体系结构的集装箱码头场桥作业调度

集装箱码头堆场作业调度问题一直是国内外相关研究的热点和难点,但由于码头作业的动态性、开放性、强耦合性和复杂性,堆场主要装卸设备场桥的调度配置问题一直未能有较好的解决方案。故提出面向哈佛体系结构的基于Agent建模和仿真模式,并将计算机操作系统中的磁盘臂调度算法和基于仿真的优化思想引入到上述模型中。通过构建相应的多Agent系统仿真得出敏捷高效鲁棒的场桥调度和配置解决方案,从而帮助集装箱码头提高服务水平和竞争力。