Infrastructure for Design, Deployment and Experimentation of Distributed Agent-based Systems: The Requirements, The Technologies, and An Example

This paper discusses infrastructure for design, development, and experimentation of multi-agent systems. Multi-agent system design requires determining (1) how domain requirements drive the use of agents and AI techniques, (2) what competencies agents need in a MAS, and (3) which techniques implement those competencies. Deployment requirements include code reuse, parallel development through formal standardized object specifications, multi-language and multi-platform support, simulation and experimentation facilities, and user interfaces to view internal module, agent, and system operations. We discuss how standard infrastructure technologies such as OMG IDL, OMG CORBA, Java, and VRML support these services. Empirical evaluation of complex software systems requires iteration through combinations of experimental parameters and recording desired data. Infrastructure software can ease the setup, running, and analysis of large-scale computational experiments. The development of the Sensible Agent Testbed and architecture over the past six years provides a concrete example. The design rationale for the Sensible Agent architecture emphasizes domain-independent requirements and rapid deployment to new application domains. The Sensible Agent Testbed is a suite of tools providing or assisting in setting up, running, visually monitoring, and chronicling empirical testing and operation of complex, distributed multi-agent systems. A thorough look at the various Sensible Agents infrastructure pieces illustrates the engineering principles essential for multi-agent infrastructure, while documenting the software for users.