Constructing secure mobile agent systems using the agent operating system. (17th December 2009)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Van 't Noordende, Guido J.; Overeinder, Benno J.; Timmer, Reinier J.; Brazier, Frances M.T.; , Andrew S. Tanenbaum
• Is Part Of: International journal of intelligent information and database systems. Volume 3:Number 4(2009)
• Page Start: 363
• Page End: 381
• Publication Date: 2009-12-17
• Subjects: secure agent middleware design -- mobile agents -- milti-agent systems -- MAS -- agent-based systems -- security -- agent transfer protocol -- ATP -- audit trails -- agent operating systems -- secure communication; Database management -- Computer programs -- Periodicals; Information retrieval -- Computer programs -- Periodicals; Information storage and retrieval systems -- Computer programs -- Periodicals; Artificial intelligence -- Periodicals; Expert systems (Computer science) -- Periodicals; Intelligent agents (Computer software) -- Periodicals; 006.33
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-5858

Abstract

Designing a secure and reliable mobile agent system is a difficult task. The agent operating system (AOS) is a building block that simplifies this task. AOS provides common primitives required by most mobile agent middleware systems, such as primitives for secure communication, secure and tamper-evident agent packaging and agent migration. Different middleware processes can use AOS at the same time; effective security mechanisms protect AOS resources owned by different middleware processes. Designed as a portable and language-neutral middleware layer residing between the mobile agent system and the operating system, AOS facilitates interoperability between agent platforms and between different implementations of AOS itself. AOS has been implemented in both C++ and Java. This paper motivates the design of AOS, describes how AOS is used in a mobile agent system, and presents performance measures for an agent transfer protocol layered upon AOS.