Anomaly management scheme for a multi-agent system

• US 20070192400A1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Mihailescu, Patrik, Lee, Habin, Shepherdson, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/048 mobile agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0695 the faulty arrangement being the maintenance, administration or management system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

An anomaly management method is provided for a multi-agent system (MAS) in which a plurality of application agents are arranged to be capable of interacting with each other over a communications network. The MAS has a plurality of anomaly management agents arranged to receive reports from a referring agent regarding a referred agent when a referring agent has determined an interaction anomaly has occurred which was potentially caused by one or more conditions associated with a referred agent. The anomaly management agent is arranged to determine one or more conditions associated with the referred agent which have caused the interaction anomaly. The anomaly management agent is also arranged to remedy the condition. The method comprises at least one of said plurality of anomaly management agents receiving a message containing information related to the interaction with the referred agent from the referring agent. The message comprises information identifying the referred agent and other information related to the interaction anomaly. One or more possible conditions associated with the referred agent which may have caused the interaction anomaly are determined from the information provided by the referring agent. A plurality of tests is then performed to determine at least one condition associated with the referred agent. Finally, the condition associated with the referred agent is remedied. The referring agent may then be provided with feedback information to enable the interaction to be resumed.

Claims

1-49. -49. (canceled)

50. An anomaly management method for a multi-agent system supporting inter-agent interactions in a distributed computer environment in which a referring agent participating or seeking to participate in an interaction with another referred agent refers the referred agent to at least one of a plurality of anomaly management agents in the multi-agent system to determine if a condition related to the referred agent has caused an interaction anomaly in the interaction between the referring agent and the referred agent detected by the referring agent, the referral process comprising the referring agent performing the steps of:

determining that an interaction anomaly has occurred if the interaction with said other agent did not proceed in accordance with the expectations of the referring agent;

the referring agent generating a report message which contains information related to the interaction anomaly and enabling the referred agent to be identified by an anomaly management agent;

the referring agent determining which one or more of said plurality of anomaly management agents should receive the report message by first communicating a service description including an agent group identifier of the referring agent to one or more agent description directories which associates the referring agent with one or more anomaly management agents in dependence on said service description and said agent group identifier, wherein in said multi-agent system anomaly management agents are flexibly assigned to agent groups of the multi-agent system;

the referring agent referring the referred agent by sending the report message to at least one of said one or more anomaly management agents determined to be associated with said referring agent, whereby the information provided by the report is processed by a receiving anomaly management agent to determine at least one condition affecting the referred agent causing an interaction anomaly comprising the referred agent not interacting with the referring agent according to the expectations of the referring agent.

51. A method as claimed in claim 50, wherein anomaly management agents are flexibly assigned to agent groups by administration agents to maintain a balanced load of agents for each anomaly management agent.

52. A method as claimed in claim 51, wherein the assignment of an anomaly management agent to an agent group is implemented by an administration agent using a dispatching rule.

53. A method as claimed in claim 50, wherein said step of determining which anomaly management agent within the multi-agent system should receive the report message comprises the steps of:

generating a query message to a directory facilitator agent containing a service description and the group identifier of the referring agent;

the directory facilitator agent locating a service description of an anomaly agent in its directory facilitator registry matching the service description received from the referring agent; and

said referring agent receiving in a response message from said directory facilitator agent a service description for an anomaly management agent, an agent identifier and address for the anomaly management agent which is to receive said report.

54. A method as claimed in claim 52, wherein said directory facilitator agent locates an anomaly management agent to refer the referred agent to by reference to a location directory and a service directory containing a description of one or more characteristics of the referred agent which associates the referred agent with a anomaly management agent. and wherein said load balancing comprises the steps of:

determining the number of application agents in each agent group of the multi-agent system;

determining the number of anomaly management agents responsible for each agent group of the multi-agent system;

determining, for each agent group of the multi-agent system, the ratio of the number of anomaly management agents providing an anomaly management service for each application agent in the agent group to the number of application agents in the agent group, and,

modifying the location directory and/or service directory entry for one or more anomaly management agents associated with said agent groups for which the ratio is above the predetermined range to re-associate the anomaly management agents with agent groups for which the ratio is below said predetermined range.

55. An method as claimed in claim 50, in which the referring agent sought to initiate participation in the interaction with the referred agent, prior to said step of determining that the interaction with said referred agent is not proceeding in accordance with the expectations of the referring agent

56. A method as claimed in claim 50, in which the referring agent sought to respond to the referred agent to participate in an interaction with the referred agent, prior to said step of determining that the interaction with said referred agent is not proceeding in accordance with the expectations of the referring agent.

57. A method as claimed in claim 50, wherein the anomaly management agent processing the reported information proceeds to implement an anomaly management scheme remedying the at least one condition affecting the referred agent.

58. A method as claimed in claim 50, wherein said anomaly management scheme determines the cause of an interaction anomaly detected in the interaction between the referring agent and the referred agent, wherein an anomaly management agent determines at least one condition associated with the referred agent which has caused the interaction by processing information provided by the referring agent, the method further comprising the steps of:

processing information provided by the referring agent to identify the device associated with the referred agent;

sending a test message to a device associated with the referred agent to determine if at least one condition is associated with the device is a condition which caused the interaction anomaly in the interaction between the referring and referred agents; and

in the event no response to the test message is received by the anomaly management agent from the device, or if a test message is received containing information which, when processed indicates that the device has a condition which caused the interaction anomaly;

determining a condition affecting the device which has caused the anomaly in the interaction between the referred and referring agents.

59. A method as claimed in claim 58, wherein in the step of processing information provided by the referring agent to identify the device associated with the referred agent, the agent container associated with the referred device is also identified, and wherein, the method further comprises the steps of:

sending a test message to the agent container of the referred agent; and

, in the event no response to the test message is received from the agent container or if a test message is received containing information which, when processed indicates that the agent container has a condition which caused the interaction anomaly; and

determining a condition affecting the agent container which has caused the interaction anomaly in the interaction between the referred and referring agents.

60. A method as claimed in claim 58, the method further comprises:

sending a test message to the referred agent to determine if the referred agent has a condition which caused the interaction anomaly; and

if the response from the referred agent does not meet one or more predetermined criteria,

determining the agent has a condition which has caused the interaction anomaly.

61. A method as claimed in claim 50, wherein at least one condition causing the interaction anomaly is one of the following:

a fault related to a service component of the referred agent;

a fault related to the device supporting the referred agent;

a fault related to the agent container associated with the referred agent; and

a fault related to the referred agent.

62. A method as claimed in claim 58, wherein the condition is not related to a fault associated with the referred agent, and the anomaly management agent determines that the detected condition requires the referred agent to be modified to interact with the referring agent;

63. A method as claimed in claim 62, wherein in the event that no condition is determined by the anomaly management agent to be associated with the referred agent, the anomaly management agent performs a service level test.

64. A method as claimed in claim 58, wherein following the determination of one or more conditions which have caused the interaction anomaly, the anomaly management agent further performs the steps of:

generating appropriate feedback information related to the condition; and

sending the feedback information to the referring agent.

65. An method as claimed in claim 58, wherein the anomaly management agent is arranged to determine one or more conditions associated with the referred agent which have caused the interaction anomaly and wherein the anomaly management agent is further arranged to remedy the condition to remove it, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

at least one of said plurality of anomaly management agents in said multi-agent system receiving a message containing information related to the interaction with the referred agent from the referring agent, the message comprising information identifying the referred agent and other information related to the interaction anomaly;

identifying one or more possible conditions associated with the referred agent from the information provided by the referring agent which may have caused the interaction anomaly;

performing a plurality of tests to determine at least one condition associated with the referred agent and selected from said possible one or more conditions of the referred agent which caused the anomaly to occur; and

remedying the condition associated with the referred agent.

66. A method as claimed in claim 65, wherein the referring agent provides information to the anomaly management agent which includes the following information:

information identifying the referred agent;

the time of the referral;

one or more detected conditions associated with the referred agent which the referring agent has determined are relevant to the anomaly; and

the identity of the reporting agent.

67. A method as claimed in claim 65, wherein the referred agent comprises one or more role components, and wherein the anomaly management agent is capable of communicating with a mediating agent to provide a description of each of said one or more role components, wherein, the condition which causes the anomaly in the interaction between the referred agent and the referring agent is determined to be associated with the service provided by the referred agent, and to remedy the condition, the anomaly management agent obtains a new description of a service role component for the referred agent from the mediating agent.

68. A method as claimed in claim 65, wherein, when a condition is determined to exist with a referred agent which has cause the anomaly, the anomaly management agent moves to the agent container of the referred agent with the condition and the following steps are performed:

creating a replica agent of the referred agent;

copying the internal state of the referred agent to the replica agent;

updating said registry means by replacing the referred agent registry entry with a registry entry for the replica agent, to enable the replica agent to interact with the referring agent.

69. A method as claimed in claim 65, wherein the referred agent is provided with at least one service role component and wherein said at least one service role component is determined to be a cause of a condition causing the interaction anomaly, the method further comprising:

the anomaly management agent sending a request message to the referred agent identifying said at least one service role component causing the interaction anomaly;

the referred agent processing the received message;

the referred agent sending a message to a mediator agent in the multi-agent system;

the mediator agent providing a replacement service role component for each service role component causing the interaction anomaly to the referred agent;

the referred agent replacing each service role component causing the interaction anomaly with a service role component provided by the mediator agent.

70. A method as claimed in claim 65, wherein, when said at least one condition associated with the referred agent is a condition associated with the agent container provided by the referred agent, further comprising the steps of:

the anomaly management agent sending a notification message to a demon agent of a device associated with the referred agent;

on receiving the message, the demon agent creating a replica container of the agent container of the referred agent;

the demon agent creating one or more replica agents for each of the agents in the agent container;

the demon agent copying the internal states of the one of more agents in the agent container into one or more replica agents in the replica container; and

the demon agent updating a location directory and a service directory with agent descriptions of each of the replica agents.

71. A method as claimed in claim 64, wherein in said feedback step the anomaly management agent sends a feedback report to the referring agent indicating the status of the referred agent following implementation of an anomaly management process.

72. An agent in a multi-agent system in which an anomaly management method as claimed in claim 50 is implemented, the agent comprising:

means to seek to participate in an interaction with at least said other agent in the multi-agent system;

means to determine that an interaction anomaly has occurred;

means to create a query message;

means to send the query message to a directory facilitator agent to an determine an anomaly management agent to receive a report message for the other agent;

means to generate a report message for the other agent, wherein said report refers the other agent to at least one anomaly management agent arranged to implement an anomaly management scheme to remedy the at least one condition affecting the other agent.

73. An anomaly management agent in a multi-agent system in which an anomaly management method as claimed in claim 50, the anomaly management agent comprising:

means to receive a report message, the report message containing information determined by a first agent concerning the experience of the first agent with another agent, which enables the other agent to be identified to the anomaly management agent;

means to process the information received to determine one or more characteristics of other agent; and

means to determine said at least one condition associated with the other agent and causing the interaction anomaly; and

means to remedy said at least one condition.

74. A multi-agent system in which an anomaly management method as claimed in claim 50 is implemented, the system comprising a plurality of anomaly management agents, wherein each anomaly management agent is associated with one or more agent containers, each agent container being associated with at least one agent, the system further comprising:

an agent location registry and an agent service registry, the agent location registry and agent service registry collectively providing a description of the location and service of agents in the multi-agent system, wherein each of said anomaly management agents is associated with one or more agents of the multi-agent system, wherein collectively the agent location registry and the agent service registry are arranged to enable a referring agent to identify an anomaly management agent for reporting to when another agent is suspected of having a condition which causes an interaction anomaly in an interaction between the referred agent and the referring agent.

75. A system, as claimed in claim 74, wherein the agent location registry and agent service registry are each supported by a different container in the multi-agent system from the container supporting the referring agent.

76. A system as claimed in claim 74, wherein an anomaly management agent is relocated to the device associated with the referred agent when an anomaly report is received by the anomaly management agent.

77. A system as claimed in claim 74, wherein each agent of the multi-agent system comprising an application agent is arranged to interact with other application agents via one or more executable software components.

78. A system as claimed in claim 74, wherein a demon agent resides on each client device associated with an application agent of the multi-agent system, wherein each demon agent is arranged to monitor the functionality of the application agent of its client device.

79. A system as claimed in claim 74, wherein one or more executable software component mediator agents maintains a library of executable software components for an application agent of the multi-agent system to enable the application agent to respond to query messages from application agents.

80. A system as claimed in claim 74, wherein an anomaly management agent contacts an agent management system agent and a directory facility agent in the multi-agent system to update one or more registries of the multi-agent system with information related to the referred agent following the anomaly management agent remedying a condition associated with the referred agent which caused the interaction anomaly.

81. A system as claimed in claim 80, wherein the information provided to update at least one of said one or more registries of the multi-agent system comprises information related to a replica agent replacing the referred agent.

82. A system as claimed in claim 74, wherein an application agent, an agent container, and a demon agent residing on a client device in the multi-agent system each implement a test interface that responds to a test message from an anomaly management agent of the multi-agent system.

83. A system as claimed in claim 74, wherein comprising a plurality of agents, in which at least one agent is arranged to generate a report referring one or more other agents of the system to at least one anomaly management agent should the one or more other agents fail to interact with said at least one agent in accordance with one or more predetermined interaction expectations of said at least one agent, the system further comprising:

message generation means arranged to enable said at least one agent to generate a message containing information related to the interaction anomaly, whereby each message enables the one or more other agents to be identified by at least one anomaly management agent; and

message sending means arranged to enable said at least one agent to refer the one or more other agents to at least one anomaly management agent by sending the report message;

processing means arranged to process the information provided by the message to determine at least one causal condition for the failure of said one or more other agents to interact with said at least one agent in accordance with one or more predetermined expectations of said at least one agent.

84. A system as claimed in claim 74, arranged to implement a load balancing scheme which maintains the number of anomaly management agents associated with a number of agents within a predetermined range, the load balancing scheme comprising the steps of:

determining the number of application agents in each agent group of the multi-agent system;

determining the number of anomaly management agents responsible for each agent group of the multi-agent system;

determining, for each agent group of the multi-agent system, the ratio of the number of anomaly management agents providing an anomaly management service for each application agent in the agent group to the number of application agents in the agent group, and,

modifying a location directory and/or service directory entry for one or more anomaly management agents associated with said agent groups for which the ratio is above the predetermined range to re-associate the anomaly management agents with agent groups for which the ratio is below said predetermined range.

85. A computer application provided on a device in the client domain of the multi-agent system as claimed in claim 74, the application providing one or more application agents adapted to refer other agents in the system to an anomaly management agent.