Agent system

• US 6,473,761 B1
• Filed: 03/26/1999
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Shigemori, Yutsuka, Nishiyama, Tetsuto, Nakajima, Akira, Naganuma, Takefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tam V
• Application Number:
  US09/276,755
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 709/315, 709/224, 709/318, 709/202-238, 709/242, 709/243, 707/100, 707/101, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4862 the task being a mobile agent, i.e. specifically designed to migrate

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide an agent system in which it will not be necessary to respecify the destination and in which the dead time entails in specifying the destination will be minimized. Agent generating unit in the system agent generates mobile object with its attached routing list which indicates the object'"'"'s destination. MPU converting unit converts agent to MPU code. Intermediate code converting unit changes to intermediate code, and outputs to the next communication device. In the communication device which received the agent, the MPU converting unit converts the agent to MPU code. Agent restoring unit restores the agent of MPU code to the original agent, and stores it in the memory area.

Claims

1. An agent system comprising:

an agent server;

a plurality of communication devices;

a communications system for coupling said agent server and plurality of communications devices;

an agent containing routing data which is generated by said agent server and travels over said communication system in accordance with said routing data;

each of said communication devices comprising a restore and transmit section for restoring an agent received over said communications system and transmitting a restored agent over said communication system, said restore and transmit section determining if said routing data of a received agent requires modification based upon predetermined criteria and further can modify said routing data in accordance with information contained in the agent and predetermined instructions in the restore and transmit section;

said routing data comprising at least one agent destination node identification data and a pass data associated with said node data; and

said restore and transit section modifying said pass data to indicate processing is complete at a destination based at least upon said restore and transmit section determination that routing data of a received agent requires modification.

2. An agent of claim 1 wherein the routing data comprises at least one agent destination and agent routing control information which the restore and transmit section uses to determine if the agent will or will not be sent to a destination.

4. An agent system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the communication device further comprises an agent code converting unit which converts an agent code to an intermediate code which a destination communication device can process and then transmits said intermediate code to said destination communication device.

5. An agent system of claim 1 wherein said communication device further comprises a memory area reserving section for reserving a memory area in a destination communication device for said agent prior to sending said agent to said destination communication device according to said routing data.

6. An agent system of claim 1 wherein said pass data further comprises data which indicates the number of times an agent may pass through a node, said restore and transmit section subtracting 1 from said pass data to indicate processing is complete at a node or adding 1 to said pass data to indicate the agent must be sent to a node when said restore and transmit section determines processing has not been completed at a node based at least upon said routing data.

7. An agent system of claim 1 wherein said restore and transmit section deletes a destination node identification data of a communication device listed in said routing data in said agent when said pass data is set to zero.

8. An agent system of claim 7 wherein said restore and transmit section adds new destination communication device node data to said routing data.

9. An agent system of claim 1 wherein said restore and transmit section may change the routing data to increase or decrease the number of times an agent may pass through a destination communication device node listed in said routing data.

10. An agent system of claim 9 wherein said agent further comprises a cumulative route record for recording communication device identification node data from nodes which said agent previously passed through.

11. An agent system of claim 10 wherein said restore and transmit section can modify said cumulative route record when said agent'"'"'s routing data is modified.

13. An agent system of claim 10 or 11 wherein said agent server simultaneously transmits a plurality of agents having different routing data sequences to a final communication device, said data having a final destination node, said server then reads out said cumulative route record from said agent which has returned, said final communication device send back to said agent server only an agent which was the first to arrive to said final communication device.

3. An agent system comprising:

an agent server;

a plurality of communication devices connected through a communication system to said server;

an agent with agent destination routing data, specified target processing for each specified destination and destination processing completion data, said agent being generated by said server and traveling among said communication devices via said communication system according to said routing data;

each of said communication device comprising a restore and transmit section which reads said routing data and determines the next destination said agent will be sent based upon said routing data, said restore and transmit section modifying said routing data and processing completion data based at least upon whether specified processing has been completed as indicated in said routing data and instructions in the restore and transmit section; and

said communication device and said agent server further comprising a memory area reserving section for reserving a memory area in a destination communication device for said agent prior to sending said agent to said destination communication device according to said routing data.

12. An agent system of claim 3 or 5 wherein said memory area reserving section further comprises a current state detection unit which monitors processing progress of an agent which has been received and said memory reserving section reserves a memory in a destination communication device when said detection unit determines that said agent has completed processing.

14. A mobile agent system comprising:

an agent server;

a plurality of communication devices connected to the agent server via at least one communication system;

an agent comprising routing data initially generated by said agent server, said agent traveling among at least some of said communication devices via said communication system according to said routing data, said routing data comprising;

a routing list of nodes where predetermined processing is to be accomplished;

processing completion data indicating whether or not said processing has been completed at a listed node;

each said communication device further comprising a restoring and transmitting section which can identify destination nodes in said routing data that said agent has or has not previously performed said processing and modifying routing data to indicate completion of said processing when said restoring and transmitting section determines a listed node'"'"'s processing has been completed, said restoring and transmitting section also modifying routing data to indicate predetermined processing has not been completed when said restoring section determines required processing for a node is not complete; and

said restoring and transmitting section executing predetermined instructions in response to said modifications to said routing list.

15. A mobile agent system as in claim 14 wherein the agent server simultaneously sends a plurality of said agents with the same target processing through said communication system wherein each of said agent'"'"'s routing data has differently ordered destination nodes;

and

each of said agents further comprising a cumulative routing data which indicates the actual route taken by the agent as specified in the agent'"'"'s routing data, said cumulative routing data indicating one of the agent'"'"'s routing data'"'"'s destination node identification data as a final destination node;

said communication devices further comprising a section within the restoring and transmitting section which can modify said cumulative routing data to indicate the actual routing path the agent traversed by the agent among the communication devices;

a section within each said communication device'"'"'s restoring and transmitting section which routes the agent first arriving at said final destination node back to the server when all processing specified in said agent and routing specified in the agent'"'"'s routing list have been accomplished, said final destination node deleting the remainder of said plurality of agents upon arrival at said final destination node; and

said server further comprising a cumulative routing list within the server which comprises the cumulative routing list of said first arriving agent upon return to the server.

16. An agent system comprising:

at least one communication device;

an agent server coupled to said at least one communications device through a communications system, said agent server generating an agent which travels over said communications system to said at least one communications device in accordance with routing information within said agent;

each said communications device inspecting routing information in a received agent and determining if said routing information must be modified based upon predetermined criteria and, if so, modifying said routing information in said agent and retransmitting said agent over said communications system; and

each of said communications devices modifying said routing data based at least upon whether specified processing has been completed to indicate that processing has been completed at an agent destination.

17. A mobile agent system comprising:

a communication device connected to at least one other communication device as well as at least one agent server through at least one communication system, said communication device comprising;

a mobile agent control section;

at least one agent transfer data list initially generated by an agent server control section used by the mobile agent control section to control transfer of said agent to a destination, said transfer data comprising;

a transfer event list identifying destination nodes where predetermined processing is to be accomplished; and

predetermined processing completion data indicating whether or not said processing has been completed at a listed node;

said control section further comprises a section which can identify destination nodes in said transfer data that said event processing section has or has not previously performed said processing, said transmitting section modifying transfer data to indicate completion of said processing when said restoring section determines a listed node'"'"'s processing has been completed, said restoring section also modifying said transfer data to indicate predetermined processing has not been completed when said restoring section determines required processing for a node is not complete; and

said control section executing predetermined instructions in response to said modifications to said transfer data.

18. A method of processing a mobile agent by a communication device comprising:

receiving a reservation request for a mobile agent;

determining if said communication device can receive and execute said mobile agent;

sending a message to a sending communication device or agent server indicating that a receiving communication device can receive and execute a mobile agent;

receiving and storing a mobile agent in memory;

reading the agent'"'"'s routing data;

determining if one or more destination nodes within said routing data must be modified based upon predetermined criteria by a restore and transmit section within said communication device;

modifying the routing data if the determination indicates routing data modification is required;

performing processing specified by the agent and predetermined criteria; and

modifying said routing data to indicate that processing specified for the communication device within which the agent is residing has been completed.

19. A method of claim 18 wherein the routing data modification comprises deletion of a destination node which has been visited by the agent and in which all specified processing has been completed.

20. A method of claim 18 further comprising:

determining the next routing destination for the agent;

sending a memory reservation request to a destination communication device specified in the routing data unless routing data indicates the agent should not be sent to another destination communication device; and

transmitting the agent to a destination communication device node specified in the routing data when a memory reservation has been made by the receiving device.

21. A method of claim 20 further comprising:

routing the agent back to an agent server when all processing and routing specified in the agent'"'"'s routing list have been accomplished; and

the server reading the agent'"'"'s routing list; and

creating a cumulative routing list within the server which comprises a list of communication device nodes recorded in the agent'"'"'s routing list upon return to the server.

22. A method of claim 18 further comprising:

converting the agent code into intermediate code prior to transmitting said agent to a destination communication device.

23. A method of claim 18 wherein agent routing data further comprises final destination routing sequence control data.

24. A method of claim 18 or 23 further comprising creating a cumulative route record within an agent using the routing data;

and

modifying the cumulative route record when the agent'"'"'s routing data is modified.

25. A method of claim 24 wherein the initial specifying routing data by the server is accomplished by reading and copying routing data from a cumulative routing list which is created and updated with routing data from agent routing lists found in agents that have returned to an agent server.

26. A method of claim 25 further comprising sending by an agent server a plurality of agents to destinations specified in the routing data through a communication system, each agent comprising the same specified processing and destinations and wherein destination nodes in each agent'"'"'s routing data is differently ordered but with the same final destination node;

and

routing the first agent received by the final destination node specified in the routing data back to a server when an agent has completed all specified processing as indicated by said routing data and agent processing completion data.

27. A method of claim 26 further comprising deleting the remainder of the plurality of agents with the same specified processing and destinations which arrive at the common final destination node specified in the plurality of agents'"'"' routing data after the first of the plurality of agents arrive and complete specified processing.

28. An agent system comprising:

an agent server;

a plurality of communication devices;

communications system for coupling said agent server and plurality of communications devices;

an agent comprising routing data which is generated by said agent server and travels over said communication system in accordance with said routing data;

each of said communication devices comprising a restore and transmit section for restoring a received agent over said communications system and transmitting a restored agent over said communication system, said restore and transmit section determining if said routing data of a received agent requires modification based upon predetermined criteria and further being capable of modifying said routing data in accordance with information contained in the agent and predetermined instructions in the restore and transmit section;

said agent further comprising data associated with processing specified for a node in the routing data; and

said restore and transmit section further being capable of deleting data associated with processing within said agent when said data is no longer needed based upon at least the restore and transmit section determination the routing data requires modification.

29. An agent system comprising:

an agent server;

a plurality of communication devices;

a communications system for coupling said agent server and plurality of communications devices;

an agent containing routing data which is generated by said agent server and travels over said communication system in accordance with said routing data;

each of said communication devices comprising an agent routing and control section for preparing a received agent for sending over said communication system as well as sending said agent over said communication system;

said routing and control section determining if said routing data of a received agent requires modification based at least upon a determination that agent processing is complete at a current agent destination;

said routing and control section deleting data or stored information within the agent associated with completed processing if said data or stored information is not needed for future processing; and

said routing and control section further performing modification of said routing data in accordance with said determination that agent routing data requires modification.

30. An agent system of claim 29 wherein said routing data comprises at least one agent destination node identification data and a routing control data associated with said node data, and wherein said routing and control section modification of said routing data comprises modifying said routing control data to indicate processing is complete at a current agent destination.