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 ix
List of Contributors xi
Preface xiii
1 Introduction 1
2 Agent Technology Overview 3
2.1 About agents 3
2.2 The Foundation for Intelligent, Physical Agents (FIPA) 10
3 The JADE Platform 29
3.1 Brief history 29
3.2 JADE and the agents paradigm 30
3.3 JADE architecture 32
3.4 Compiling the software and launching the platform 34
3.5 JADE packages 37
3.6 Message transport service 39
3.7 Admin and debugging tools 42
4 Programming with JADE – Basic Features 51
4.1 Creating agents 51
4.2 Agent tasks 57
4.3 Agent communication 65
4.4 Agent discovery: the yellow pages service 72
4.5 Agents with a GUI 75
5 Programming with JADE – Advanced Features 77
5.1 Ontologies and content languages 77
5.2 Composing behaviours to create complex tasks 91
5.3 Threaded behaviours 99
5.4 Interaction protocols 100
5.5 Interacting with the AMS 107
5.6 Starting JADE from an external Java application 111
6 Agent Mobility 115
6.1 Agent mobility 115
6.2 Intra-platform mobility 117
6.3 Inter-platform mobility service 119
6.4 Usage of the JADE mobility services 121
7 JADE Internal Architecture 131
7.1 Distributed coordinated filters 131
7.2 Creating a JADE kernel service 136
8 Running JADE Agents on Mobile Devices 145
8.1 Main limitations of the mobile environment 145
8.2 The LEAP add-on 146
8.3 The split container execution mode 150
8.4 Developing MIDP agents 154
8.5 LEAP add-on advanced 161
9 Deploying a Fault-Tolerant JADE Platform 173
9.1 The main replication service 173
9.2 Attaching the DF to a relational DB 176
10 The JADE Web Services Integration Gateway 181
10.1 Web service technology 181
10.2 The utility of agent and Web service integration 182
10.3 The WSIG architecture 182
10.4 Installation requirements 184
10.5 WSIG installation procedure 185
10.6 WSIG operation 186
10.7 Example 1: Web service client invokes an agent service 193
10.8 Example 2: Agent service invokes a Web service 203
11 Agent-Society Configuration Manager and Launcher 207
11.1 Basic terms and concepts 207
11.2 Book-trading example 209
11.3 Distributed deployment 215
11.4 The XML meta-model 218
11.5 Inside the ASCML 220
11.6 Distributed monitoring, logging and debugging 222
11.7 Outlook 223
12 JADE Semantics Framework 225
12.1 FIPA-SL language 226
12.2 Interpretation engine 230
12.3 Basic semantic agent 231
12.4 Specializing the interpretation activity 234
12.5 Customizing belief handling 237
12.6 Handling Actions 240
12.7 Synthesizing standard and advanced use of the JSA 245
12.8 Conclusions 245
13 A Selection of Other Relevant Tools 247
13.1 The Bean Generator 247
13.2 Jademx 250
13.3 The Java Sniffer 251
13.4 JADEX – engineering goal-oriented agents 254
Appendix A Command Line Options 259
A.1 Syntax 259
A.2 Options to launch containers and main containers 260
A.3 General Options 261
A.4 Options of the JADE kernel-level services 262
A.5 Options related to MTPs 265
A.6 Options to configure the yellow page DF service 267
A.7 Options specific to the JADE-LEAP platform 268
A.8 Extending the command line with user-defined options 269
Appendix B List of Symbols and Acronyms 271
Bibliography 275
References 275
FIPA Specifications 278
Index 281
