CONCORDIA - A Powerful Framework for Developing Network-Efficient Mobile Agent Applications

Concordia delivers a rich set of features that support the implementation of agents for a wide range of industries and end users. Agents implemented with Concordia are mobile objects. They can travel to different locations and devices on a network and perform work at those locations. The mobility of Concordia Agents sets them apart from distributed objects and Java applets.

Concordia hides the complexities of application program mobility from programmers, so developing an Agent-enabled application is similar to developing a non-mobile or stationary program. Agents maintain their internal state while traveling in a network, so they are able to resume execution upon arrival at a new location. All Agent transport work is handled transparently without programmer intervention.

A Concordia Agent's network travels are defined by its Itinerary. The Itinerary specifies where the agent is to travel and what task it should perform when it arrives. Concordia Itineraries are specified at run-time. Agents may change their own Itineraries based upon information and events discovered as the agent travels.

Concordia's powerful capabilities help developers deliver complete, anytime-anywhere information access systems. Users of these systems can gain access to information regardless of their location, mobility, or network connection. By shielding developers from the complexities of network communications, Concordia reduces development time.

Features Benefits
Java Language Support
  • Platform independence lets applications work with wide variety of devices.
  • No special programming tools required to develop Concordia Agents.
  • Use standard Java Communication protocols. Applications developed with Concordia Agents maintain the benefits of the rich networking features of the Java language.
  • Reduce product development time.
Agent Collaboration
  • Multiple agents work together to perform complex tasks more efficiently.
  • Parallel application execution over multiple devices improves overall execution efficiency.
  • Simple API eases implementation of systems requiring complex coordination of tasks.
Mobility
  • Processing of data close to the data source.
  • Reduces network traffic congestion.
Transparent Network

Communications

  • Shields developers from complexities of network communications, resulting in shorter development time.
Agent Cloning
  • Agents can replicate themselves to complete a task more quickly.
Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) Compatible
  • Standard SQL database access interface for uniform access to a wide range of relational databases.
Dynamic (Network) Class Loading
  • Developer flexibility in code distribution.
  • Improved network efficiency.
Queuing Support
  • Buffering of transmissions alleviates problems with transmission delays.
  • Reliable transmission of agents and information.
Disconnected Computing
  • Reduces communication costs for remote and mobile workers.
  • Increases worker productivity.
User-Specifiable Itinerary
  • May change itinerary without modifying agent source code.
Agent-Specifiable Itinerary
  • Agent makes decisions about its actions based on timely information and events, improving overall efficiency.
Persistence
  • Automatic resumption of interrupted computations caused by system or network failures.
  • Agent internal state information maintained across the network.
Security
  • Protects system resources from malicious agents.
  • Tamper-resistant Agents.

 

 

Concordia is developed and supported by
Mitsubishi Electric Information Technology Center America
at our
Horizon Systems Laboratory .

All information Copyright © 1997 by
Mitsubishi Electric Information Technology Center America (ITA).