Integrating Mobile Agents into
Off-the-Shelf Web Servers:
The M&M Approach
Raul Fonseca,
Paulo Marques, Paulo Simões, Luís Silva, João Silva
CISUC, University of Coimbra, Portugal
[email protected]
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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Integrating Mobile Agents into
Off-the-Shelf Web Servers:
The M&M Approach
 M&M Overview
 Integrating Mobile Agents into the Jigsaw
Web Server
 Integrating Mobile Agents into Generic
Web Servers
 Conclusion
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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Traditional MA Platform
AGENTS
AGENT PLATFORM
External App
Interface
Inter-Agent
Communication
Migration
Support
Platform
Management
Directory
Services
Tracking
Persistence
Naming
Security
OPERATING SYSTEM
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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The M&M Aproach
Hardware
Monitoring
Parsers
(... Others ...)
Domain Specific Components
Messaging
Math
Libraries
(... Others ...)
Graphical
Components
Network
Management
Database
Access
Third-party Off-The-Shelf
Components
Applicaton
Migration
Support
Agent
Tracking
(... Others ...)
Agent &
Infrastruture
Management
Persistence
Inter-Agent
Messaging
Mobile-agent Support
Components
Selection and Wiring of
the Necessary Components
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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The M&M Aproach
Application
B
other app
objects
other app
objects
HOST
A
Application
A
HOST B
Middleware Mobility
Components
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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M&M Main Features
 No agent platforms: the agents arrive and departure from
the applications
 Applications become agent-enabled by using binary
software components (JavaBeans and ActiveX)
 Easy to program (Visual Builder Tools)
 Users do not see agents and do not manage platforms
 Security is integrated into the app security framework
 Agents can be application specific
 Agents are able to interact with applications written in
any language (ActiveX support)
 Only the required components are included in each
application
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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Integrating M&M into Web
Server: Requirements
 Agents should be able to behave as a Web
resource
 The agents should be able to query local
information on the server
 Agents should be able to perform
management operations on the web server
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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Related work
 Web server built on top of an agent platform
 Standard mobile agent platform side-by-side
with the web server
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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Integrating M&M into the
Jigsaw Web Server
 What is Jigsaw and main relevant features
 Why Jigsaw for the first aproach
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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Integrating M&M into the
Jigsaw Web Server
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Problems to be addressed
 The aproach was not general and was not
applicable to other web servers;
 Security concerns;
 The way the wrapper was interacting with
the agents was not the most appropriate one
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Integrating M&M into Web
Servers: The Mobility Servlet
Container
3 September 2001 - INBOSA workshop
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The agents behave as servlets
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Security
 Fine grain authorization/authentication
mecanisms;
 Confidentiality and Privacy;
 Accountability.
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Conclusion
 Web server independence
 Restricted execution environment
 Agents behave as regular servlets
 Dynamic architecture
 Small runtime footprint
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Questions ?
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