Developing Multi-Agent Systems with JADE (Hardcover)

Description:

Learn how to employ JADE to build multi-agent systems!

JADE (Java Agent DEvelopment framework) is a middleware for the development of applications, both in the mobile and fixed environment, based on the Peer-to-Peer intelligent autonomous agent approach. JADE enables developers to implement and deploy multi-agent systems, including agents running on wireless networks and limited-resource devices.

Developing Multi-Agent Systems with JADE is a practical guide to using JADE. The text will give an introduction to agent technologies and the JADE Platform, before proceeding to give a comprehensive guide to programming with JADE. Basic features such as creating agents, agent tasks, agent communication, agent discovery and GUIs are covered, as well as more advanced features including ontologies and content languages, complex behaviours, interaction protocols, agent mobility, and the in-process interface. Issues such as JADE internals, running JADE agents on mobile devices, deploying a fault tolerant JADE platform, and main add-ons are also covered in depth.

Developing Multi-Agent Systems with JADE:

• Comprehensive guide to using JADE to build multi-agent systems and agent orientated programming.
• Describes and explains ontologies and content language, interaction protocols and complex behaviour.
• Includes material on persistence, security and a semantics framework.
• Contains numerous examples, problems, and illustrations to enhance learning.
• Presents a case study demonstrating the use of JADE in practice.
• Offers an accompanying website with additional learning resources such as sample code, exercises and PPT-slides.

This invaluable resource will provide multi-agent systems practitioners, programmers working in the software industry with an interest on multi-agent systems as well as final year undergraduate and postgraduate students in CS and advanced networking and telecoms courses with a comprehensive guide to using JADE to employ multi agent systems.

With contributions from experts in JADE and multi agent technology.

Table of contents

The Authors.

List of Contributors.

Preface.

1 Introduction.

2 Agent Technology Overview.

2.1 About agents.

2.2 The Foundation for Intelligent, Physical Agents (FIPA).

3 The JADE Platform.

3.1 Brief history.

3.2 JADE and the agents paradigm.

3.3 JADE architecture.

3.4 Compiling the software and launching the platform.

3.5 JADE packages.

3.6 Message transport service.

3.7 Admin and debugging tools.

4 Programming with JADE – Basic Features.

4.1 Creating agents.

4.2 Agent tasks.

4.3 Agent communication.

4.4 Agent discovery: the yellow pages service.

4.5 Agents with a GUI.

5 Programming with JADE – Advanced Features.

5.1 Ontologies and content languages.

5.2 Composing behaviours to create complex tasks.

5.3 Threaded behaviours.

5.4 Interaction protocols.

5.5 Interacting with the AMS.

5.6 Starting JADE from an external Java application.

6 Agent Mobility.

6.1 Agent mobility.

6.2 Intra-platform mobility.

6.3 Inter-platform mobility service.

6.4 Usage of the JADE mobility services.

7 JADE Internal Architecture.

7.1 Distributed coordinated filters.

7.2 Creating a JADE kernel service.

8 Running JADE Agents on Mobile Devices.

8.1 Main limitations of the mobile environment.

8.2 The LEAP add-on.

8.3 The split container execution mode.

8.4 Developing MIDP agents.

8.5 LEAP add-on advanced.

9 Deploying a Fault-Tolerant JADE Platform.

9.1 The main replication service.

9.2 Attaching the DF to a relational DB.

10 The JADE Web Services Integration Gateway.

10.1 Web service technology.

10.2 The utility of agent and Web service integration.

10.3 The WSIG architecture.

10.4 Installation requirements.

10.5 WSIG installation procedure.

10.6 WSIG operation.

10.7 Example 1: Web service client invokes an agent service.

10.8 Example 2: Agent service invokes a Web service.

11 Agent-Society Configuration Manager and Launcher.

11.1 Basic terms and concepts.

11.2 Book-trading example.

11.3 Distributed deployment.

11.4 The XML meta-model.

11.5 Inside the ASCML.

11.6 Distributed monitoring, logging and debugging.

11.7 Outlook.

12 JADE Semantics Framework.

12.1 FIPA-SL language.

12.2 Interpretation engine.

12.3 Basic semantic agent.

12.4 Specializing the interpretation activity.

12.5 Customizing belief handling.

12.6 Handling Actions.

12.7 Synthesizing standard and advanced use of the JSA.

12.8 Conclusions.

13 A Selection of Other Relevant Tools.

13.1 The Bean Generator.

13.2 JADEMX.

13.3 The Java Sniffer.

13.4 JADEX – engineering goal-oriented agents.

APPENDIX A Command Line Options.

A.1 Syntax.

A.2 Options to launch containers and main containers.

A.3 General Options.

A.4 Options of the JADE kernel-level services.

A.5 Options related to MTPs.

A.6 Options to configure the yellow page DF service.

A.7 Options specific to the JADE-LEAP platform.

A.8 Extending the command line with user-defined options.

APPENDIX B List of Symbols and Acronyms.

Bibliography.

References.

FIPA Specifications.

Index.