Software Agent Technology for Nomadic Computing

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Software Agent Technology for Nomadic Computing

• FIPA
• Nomadic Application Support

Heimo Laamanen Heikki Helin Sonera Corporation
OMG Agent PSIG Irvine, CA, USA 27.2.2001
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Topics

• Introduction to environment
• Challenges
• QoS Issues
• FIPA Nomadic Application Support
• Overview
• QoS Ontology
• Monitor Agent, Control Agent
• Communication
• Gateway
• Implementation Project
• CRUMPET

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Wireless Internet (future view)
WLAN networks
GPRS / UMTS networks
Wired Internet
Internet services
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Challenges
Todays distributed systems do not work
well They are designed for wireline environment
Wireline environment
High throughput Low latency Reliable

• Locating of hosts and users
• Security
• Dependability
• Throughput
• Costs
• Management

Low throughput High latency Unreliable
Wireless environment
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Challenges

• Variety of
• CPU power
• Memory
• Storage
• Quality of display
• User interface
• etc..

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Wireless Networks

• GSM HSCSD
• GPRS
• UMTS
• CDPD
• CDMA 2000
• WLAN

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UMTS Challenges to Internet Protocols

• High variety of QoS
• throughput, delay, bit-error-rate, reliability,
  .

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Factors Affecting End-to-End QoS
Human readable formats HTML, XML, ...
Human readable commands HTTP, ...
TCP version SACK... window size, slow start, RTO
Locating mobile terminal
Network congestion drop packets buffer size?
Network congestion drop packets buffer size?
Coverage area Quality of radio signal
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Results of Measurements
Bulk data transfer (GPRS)
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Results of Measurements
Request - reply (GPRS)
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Results of Measurements

• Combined (simultaneous uplink and downlink)
  (HSCSD)

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Wireless Internet
Data representations
Interaction protocols
Agent Based
ACLs, CLs
HTTP, IIOP, etc.
Adaptation
TCP
IP / MIP
HSCSD, GPRS, UMTS, WLAN
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Agent-Based Approach to Challenges
FIPA Nomadic Application Support
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Services

• Monitoring
• QoS of data transmission
• Controlling
• data transmission and data transmission equipment
• Selecting
• appropriate data transmission protocols
• representation of the agent communication
  language
• Ontologies

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Basic Model
Agent Platform B
Agent
AMS
DF
CA
Agent Platform A
ACC
MA
Agent
AMS
DF
CA
IIOP
ACC
MA
WAP
TCP/IP
IIOP
WAP
Wireline
WLAN
WWAN
TCP/IP
Wireline
WLAN
WWAN
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QoS Ontology

• QoS
• line-rate, throughput, rtt,
• Communication Channel
• GPRS, WLAN,
• Transport Protocol
• IIOP, HTTP, WAP

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(No Transcript)
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Monitor Agent

• Functionality
• QoS Monitoring
• Providing QoS information to other agents
• Query, Subscribe

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Control Agent

• Functionality
• open/close communication channel
• activate/deactivate message transport protocol

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Layered Model of Agent Communication
Conversation Layer
FIPA-query, FIPA-request, ...
Content Language
FIPA SL, KIF, RDF, ...
Agent Communication Language
FIPA ACL, KQML, ...
Message Envelope
FIPA Message Envelope, ...
Message Transport
GIOP, WAP, RMI, HTTP, ...
Transport and Signaling Protocol
TCP/IP, WAP, SMS, ...
Network Infrastructure
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Conversation Layer
Conversation Layer
FIPA-query, FIPA-request, ...
Content Language
FIPA SL, KIF, RDF, ...
Agent Communication Language
FIPA ACL, KQML, ...
Message Envelope
FIPA Message Envelope, ...
Message Transport
GIOP, WAP, RMI, HTTP, ...
Transport and Signaling Protocol
TCP/IP, WAP, SMS, ...
Network Infrastructure
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Conversation Layer Interaction Protocols

• Nomadic Application Support interaction
  protocols
• to negotiate message transport protocols and
  message representations
• Propose lt--gt Accept-Proposal

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Content Language
Conversation Layer
FIPA-query, FIPA-request, ...
Content Language
FIPA SL, KIF, RDF, XML,....
Agent Communication Language
FIPA ACL, KQML, ...
Message Envelope
FIPA Message Envelope, ...
Message Transport
GIOP, WAP, RMI, HTTP, ...
Transport and Signaling Protocol
TCP/IP, WAP, SMS, ...
Network Infrastructure
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Agent Communication Language
Conversation Layer
FIPA-query, FIPA-request, ...
Content Language
FIPA SL, KIF, RDF, ...
Agent Communication Language
FIPA ACL, KQML, ...
Message Envelope
FIPA Message Envelope, ...
Message Transport
GIOP, WAP, RMI, HTTP, ...
Transport and Signaling Protocol
TCP/IP, WAP, SMS, ...
Network Infrastructure
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Bit-Efficient Representation of FIPA-ACL

• Simple tokenized syntax for ACL
• In addition, more efficient version using dynamic
  code tables

ltxmlgt ltsendergt ltagent-identifiergt
lt/agent-identifiergt lt/sendergt ltreceivergt
ltagent-identifiergt lt/agent-identifiergt lt/receiv
ergt ltontologygt lt/ontologygt
(request sender (agent-identifier ...)
receiver (agent-identifier ) ontology
content () )
0xfa 0x10 0x56 0x78 0x0d 0x01 0xfa 0x69 0x01
0x01 0x1a 0xac 0x02 0x70 0x77 0x89 0x40 0x5d
0xdd 0x00
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Bit-Efficient Representation of FIPA-ACL
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Message Envilope
Conversation Layer
FIPA-query, FIPA-request, ...
Content Language
FIPA SL, KIF, RDF, ...
Agent Communication Language
FIPA ACL, KQML, ...
Message Envelope
FIPA Message Envelope, ...
Message Transport
GIOP, WAP, RMI, HTTP, ...
Transport and Signaling Protocol
TCP/IP, WAP, SMS, ...
Network Infrastructure
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Bit-Efficient Representation of FIPA-Envelope

• Simple tokenized syntax for message envelope
• similar to bit-efficient ACL

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Bit-Efficient Representation of FIPA-Envelope
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Message Transport
Conversation Layer
FIPA-query, FIPA-request, ...
Content Language
FIPA SL, KIF, RDF, ...
Agent Communication Language
FIPA ACL, KQML, ...
Message Envelope
FIPA Message Envelope, ...
Message Transport
GIOP, WAP, RMI, HTTP, ...
Transport and Signaling Protocol
TCP/IP, WAP, SMS, ...
Network Infrastructure
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Message Transport

• FIPA Message Transport Protocols
• IIOP, HTTP, WAP
• IIOP
• (not yet) appropriate in wireless environment
• waiting for wireless-Corba
• HTTP
• Reliability?
• WAP
• Yes, but...

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Gateways

• Currently under development by FIPA TC Gateways
• Transport/Messaging Interoperability Service
• simple stateless extension to ACC
• transformation between MTPs
• transformation between representations of
  different parts of FIPA message
• Message Buffering Service
• extension to ACC to support for disconnected mode
  of operation
• Controlling messaging using transport-behaviour
  envelope parameter

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GatewaysMessaging Interoperability Service
Domain B
Domain A
Agent
Agent
CLrep1
CLrep2
Content Language Representation
Content Language Gateway
Content Language Representation
ACLrep2
ACLrep1
ACL Representation
ACL Representation Gateway
ACL Representation
Envrep2
Envrep1
Message Envelope Representation
Message Envelope Representation Gateway
Message Envelope Representation
MTP2
MTP1
Message Transport Protocol
Message Transport Protocol Gateway
Message Transport Protocol
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Implementation Project
CRUMPET
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Implementation ProjectCRUMPET

• CReation of User-friendly Mobile services
  Personalised for Tourism.
• Service To provide the customer with
  tourism-related content, that supports
  intelligent, anytime, anywhere communication.
  Specific tourism-related content of interest
  includes restaurants, movies, shows, local
  attractions, and shopping.

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Implementation ProjectCRUMPET

• To be aware of the (network) communication
  capabilities (WLAN, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, and
  wireline) and the corresponding Quality of
  Service in all communication.
• To be aware of changes to the communication
  capabilities, and to adapt the presentation
  accordingly.
• To take account of the terminal type, including
  next generation mobile phone / PDA / PC hybrid
  terminals

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Implementation ProjectCRUMPET

• Goals
• To implement, validate, and trial tourism
  services for nomadic users that will adapt to
  both dynamic network changes (QoS), and user
  location and other contextual changes
• To develop a generic seamless execution
  environment across different types of networks
  and access devices for a range of value-added
  services within the tourism domain

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Implementation ProjectCRUMPET

• Project
• Funded by European Commision (IST program)
• Partners
• Queen Mary Westfield College
• Nortel Networks / Emorphia
• GMD
• EML
• Portugal Telecom Inovação
• University of Helsinki
• Sonera Corporation

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Implementation ProjectCRUMPET

• Reference
• Architecture

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Thank you for your attention
Questions