Communications network incorporating agent oriented computing environment

• US 6,049,819 A
• Filed: 01/13/1998
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Hadingham, Robert George, Buckle, Phillip Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US09/006,380
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/220-221, 709/223-226, 709/249-252, 707/3-4, 707/10, 707/101-104
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4862 the task being a mobile agent, i.e. specifically designed to migrate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An agent oriented computing environment is disclosed comprising an "agent shell" means which can be used by developers for constructing agent computing entities according to their own functionality requirements; an agent enabling layer, providing basic communication, brokering, and negotiation facilities between agent computing entities; and an underlying transport mechanism based on a prior art CORBA platform. Agents communicate with each other using an agent communication language enabling them to interact to domain specific problems. Agents can pass information to each other in ACL messages describing their own vocabularies concerning logic (ontologies). Various services for locating and connecting agents are provided in the agent oriented environment, such as a broker service for locating and finding agents. A collection of agents may communicate with each other where the agents remain static, maintaining their physical locations on their corresponding host physical resource devices, or alternatively agents may be transported across a plurality of physical resources, through the CORBA platform. The environment supports encapsulation of legacy objects, databases, standard and proprietary protocols and interfaces.

Claims

1. A communications network providing a distributed computing environment and comprising:

a plurality of physical resources comprising a plurality of processors, and a plurality of memory means associated with the physical resources;

a plurality of agent computing entities, each incorporating a set of one or more objects and a messaging component, and residing, the physical resources;

a means for communicating between the physical resources; and

means for interfacing the agent computing entities to the communicating means such that the agent computing entities are able to communicate with each other over said communications network using a common set of syntax and common set of message exchanges.

2. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communicating means comprises a CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) platform.

3. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interface means comprises means for interfacing an agent computing entity representation to said communicating means.

4. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interface means comprises an agent communication language.

5. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interface means comprises a Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) agent communication language.

6. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interface means comprises KQML (Knowledge Query and Manipulation Language).

7. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein a said agent computing entity is configured to perform a predetermined task autonomously of other ones of said plurality of agent computing entities.

8. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein a said agent computing entity comprises an intelligence component.

9. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein a said agent computing entity comprises a human factor component.

10. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein a said agent computing entity comprises an object oriented representation of a system.

11. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein a said agent computing entity is adapted to cooperate with at least one other of said agent computing entities.

12. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein a said agent computing entity is configured to receive details of functionality provided by another said agent computing entity over said communicating means.

13. The network as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first said agent computing entity corresponds with a second said agent computing entity via a third said agent computing entity, said third agent computing entity configured to perform a teach functionality in which said third agent computing entity communicates an ontology data between said first and second agent computing entities.

14. A computing infrastructure means for supporting a population of agent computing entities in a distributed computing environment, each agent computing entity incorporating a set of one or more objects and a messaging component, said infrastructure comprising:

a communications platform supporting communications between the agent computing entities;

a shell means for said agent computing entity, said shell means comprising;

an agent communications language element; and

an interface means for interfacing between said agent communications language element and said communications platform, wherein the agent computing entities are able to communicate with each other using a common set of syntax and a common set of message exchanges.

15. The computing infrastructure means as claimed in claim 14, wherein said communications platform comprises a CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) platform.

16. The computing infrastructure means as claimed in claim 14, wherein said agent communication language comprises a Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) agent communication language.

17. The computing infrastructure means as claimed in claim 14, wherein said agent communication language comprises a KQML (Knowledge Query and Manipulation Language).

18. The computing infrastructure means as claimed in claim 14, wherein said interface means comprises an object capable of encapsulation of agent communication language messages in an interface description language.

19. The computing infrastructure as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a broker agent arranged for introducing a plurality of said agents within said computing infrastructure.

20. The computing infrastructure as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a physical resource configured as an agent naming service, said agent naming service containing data signals describing locations of a plurality of agent computing entities connected with said computing infrastructure.

21. A distributed computing environment comprising a plurality of physical resources configured as a plurality of agent computing entities each incorporating a set of one or more objects and a messaging component, each said physical resource comprising:

at least one data processor;

at least one memory means capable of storing data signals;

a set of control instructions configured for controlling said at least one processor to perform data processing operations on said stored data signals; and

a communications platform;

wherein the agent computing entities each comprise a means for interfacing with said communications platform and one or more object representations of a modelled system wherein the agent computing entities are able to communicate with each other using a common set of syntax and a common set of message exchanges.

22. The distributed computing environment as claimed in claim 21, wherein said communications platform comprises a CORBA (common object request broker architecture) platform.

23. The distributed computing environment as claimed in claim 21, wherein said interface means comprises an agent communications language.

24. The distributed computing environment as claimed in claim 21, wherein at least some physical resources incorporate negotiation means, intelligence means and persistent storage means.

25. In a computing environment comprising a plurality of distributed physical resources, each physical resource comprising a processing means, a data storage means, and a control signal storage means;

a method of transporting an agent computing entity incorporating a set of one or more objects and a messaging component between a first physical resource at a first location, and a second physical resource at a second location, said method comprising the steps of;

representing said agent entity as a message in an agent communications language;

transporting said message over a CORBA platform between said first and second locations; and

converting said message back to code representing said agent computing entity, wherein agent computing entities are able to communicate with each other using a common set of syntax and a common set of message exchanges.

26. In a computing environment comprising a plurality of distributed physical resources, each said physical resource comprising a processor means, and a data storage means, wherein a plurality of agent computing entities each incorporating a set of one or more objects and a messaging component are resident on said plurality of said physical resources;

a method of data processing comprising;

interacting a first agent computing entity with a second agent computing entity by;

i) said first agent computing entity packaging a set of data signals into one or more agent communication language messages;

ii) transporting said one or more agent communication language messages to said second computing entity over a CORBA platform; and

iii) said second computing entity receiving said one or more agent communication language messages and recovering said data signals therefrom wherein said first and second agent computing entities are enabled to communicate with each other using a common set of syntax and a common set of message exchanges.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein said step of transporting said data over said CORBA platform comprises containing said messages of said agent communication language into an interface definition language capable of interfacing with said CORBA platform.

28. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein said step of recovering said data signals from said agent communication language messages comprises:

receiving signals in the form of a CORBA event encoded in an interface definition language syntax from said CORBA platform; and

converting said interface definition language syntax signals to agent communication language messages containing said data signals.

29. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein said data signals define an agent computing entity.

30. In a computing environment comprising a plurality of distributed physical resources, physical resource comprising a processor means and a data storage means, wherein a plurality of agent computing entities each incorporating a set of one or more objects and a messaging component are resident on said plurality of physical resources, a method of interacting first and second agent computing entities with each other comprising the steps of:

said first agent entity sending a message to said second said agent entity, said message containing data describing functionality available at said first agent entity; and

said second agent entity responding to said first agent entity by sending a message signal containing data describing functionality available at said second agent entity, wherein said first and second agent computing entities are enabled to communicate with each other using a common set of syntax and a common set of message exchanges.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein said data describing functionality comprises ontology data describing meanings of agent communication language messages.

32. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein a said agent computing entity performs a predetermined task autonomously of other ones of said plurality of agent computing entities.

33. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein a said agent computing entity allow use of its functionality to at least one other of said agent computing entities.

34. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein said message signals comprise agent communications language messages sent asynchronously over an externalization service of a CORBA platform.