Managing Agent Platforms with the
Simple Network Management
Protocol
Brian Remick
Thesis Defense
July 13, 2017
The Big Picture
Jade
Workstation
Network Management
Software
Laser printer
FIPA-OS
IBM Compatible
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2
Overview

Background

Motivation

Network Management / SNMP

AgentSNMP

Agent Patterns

Summary
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3
Background

Agent
– Software process that can make decisions autonomously.
» Without a central control mechanism.
– Communication via a standard messaging language (ACL).
– Able to migrate from one platform / host to another.

Agent Platform
– Development framework for agent software
– Runtime environment for agents
» Concurrent agent activities
» Agent communication
» Agent migration
– FIPA – Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents
» Formal specification for agent platforms
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Motivation

Agent platforms are complex runtime environments.
– Difficult to debug from a software perspective.
– Difficult to analyze from an administrator’s perspective.

No formal management specification.
– FIPA leaves this up to the platform implementation.
– Thus, each implementation does it differently (if at all).
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Jade Agent Management – RMA
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Jade Agent Management – Sniffer
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Network Management

Basic Goals
– Manage resources of vastly different types in a standard way.
– Must be scalable, flexible.
– Non-intrusive (as much as possible).
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Network Management

Components of a typical network management system
– Resources
» Devices, software that need to be managed.
– Proxy “agents”
» Act as representatives for resources.
» Expose standard interface to resource.
– Communication protocol
» Supports messages between proxy agent and management system.
» SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
– Management system(s)
» Polls / modifies attributes through the proxy agent interface.
» HP Openview
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Network Management
Management System
Display / Graphs / Reports
Analysis / Threshold Monitors
Protocol
Protocol
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Database
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10
SNMP


Industry standard protocol for
network management.
MIB (Management Information
Base)
– “Interface” for resources

Flexibility is key.
Management System
Display / Graphs / Reports
– Need to be able to facilitate interface
for any resource.
Analysis / Threshold Monitors
Protocol

Off-the-shelf management
software natively supports it.
Protocol
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Database
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Proxy “Agents”

Expose standard interface defined by MIB.

Provide resource-specific implementation
– Hide complexity of resource/device from manager.

Respond to requests from managers.

Able to send asynchronous traps.
Management System
Display / Graphs / Reports
Analysis / Threshold Monitors
Protocol
Protocol
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Database
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Enterprise Management Systems

Sophisticated control over resources.

Polling Support
– Ability to set thresholds, gather temporal data,
graphs, etc.
– Customizable: views of data, resource graphs


Designed for more than strictly
“network” management.
Examples
– HP Openview
– Sun Solstice
Management System
Display / Graphs / Reports
Analysis / Threshold Monitors
Protocol
Protocol
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
– IBM Tivoli
Database
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HP Openview - Example
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Network and Agent Management

Both solve similar problems.
–
–
–
–

Distributed resources
Overload conditions
Crashes
Management of varying types of resources
But, differences exist.
– Agent platforms are much more dynamic.
» Agent are created / destroyed at much higher rates than network
nodes.
– No physical connections in agent platforms
» “Logical” connections between agents via messages.
– Migration – No parallel in network management
» Network is a static set of nodes.
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AgentSNMP – Goals

Develop a formal set of agent management
requirements.
– Based on FIPA agent platform specification.

Build an agent management system based on these
requirements.
– Agent Platform MIB.
– Jade agent platform implementation.

Integrate with enterprise management system.
– HP Openview

Demonstrate
– Test the system with agent behavioral patterns and simulations.
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AgentSNMP – Requirements

Basic management tasks
– Agent creation, deletion, migration, etc.

Track agent load, responsiveness
– Must be able to detect agents that are “overloaded.”

Analyze agent communication patterns.

Track agent movement between hosts, platforms.
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AgentSNMP – Overview

Agent platform is the “managed resource”
– Proxy agent exposes standard interface to the platform.

Management software uses SNMP to communicate with
proxy agent.
– Able to retrieve information about the platform via interface.

Management software is customized to display platform
information visually.
Management System
Display / Graphs / Reports
– Plugin for HP Openview.
Analysis / Threshold Monitors
Protocol
Protocol
Protocol
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Proxy Agent
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Standard Interface
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource-Specific
Implementation
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Resource
Interface
Jade
Database
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AgentSNMP – Architecture
Enterprise Management
Plugin
Simple Management
Enterprise
Management
System
MIB Browser
FIPA MIB
Jade Agent Platform
Agent
Proxy Agent
Framework
Introspection
Ontology
AMS
ACL
Agent
Agent
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AgentSNMP – FIPA MIB

SNMP interface to agent platform

Access to:
– Hosts connected to platform
– Agents living on each host
– Messages sent between agents
– Higher-level patterns of agent
communication
Enterprise Management
Plugin
Simple Management
Enterprise
Management
System
MIB Browser
» Channels
– Load analysis of agents
FIPA MIB

Extensible
Jade Agent Platform
Agent
Proxy Agent
Framework
Introspection
Ontology
AMS
ACL
Agent
Agent
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AgentSNMP – Proxy Agent

Specific to Jade implementation.
– Other platform implementations might require different proxy
agents designs.

Implements interface defined by FIPA MIB.
– Maintains data structures that represent MIB objects.

Basic functionality:
– Agent living on platform
Enterprise Management
Plugin
Simple Management
Enterprise
Management
System
MIB Browser
» Necessary for Jade implementation
– Registers with AMS to receive
information about platform events.
– Updates MIB data structures
appropriately based on events.
FIPA MIB
Jade Agent Platform
Agent
Proxy Agent
Framework
Introspection
Ontology
AMS
ACL
Agent
Agent
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AgentSNMP – MIB Browser

Simple access to proxy agent interface.

Manipulate individual values in the MIB via SNMP.

Minimal polling, threshold, graphing support.

No customization.
Enterprise Management
Plugin
Simple Management
Enterprise
Management
System
MIB Browser
FIPA MIB
Jade Agent Platform
Agent
Proxy Agent
Framework
Introspection
Ontology
AMS
ACL
Agent
Agent
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AgentSNMP – MIB Browser
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AgentSNMP – HP Openview

Takes advantage of Openview’s plugin capabilities

Translates events:
– Platform events to Openview GUI events.
– Openview GUI events to SNMP requests for platform.

Displays threshold events graphically.
– Openview threshold events to GUI events.
Enterprise Management
Plugin
Simple Management
Enterprise
Management
System
MIB Browser
FIPA MIB
Jade Agent Platform
Agent
Proxy Agent
Framework
Introspection
Ontology
AMS
ACL
Agent
Agent
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AgentSNMP – HP Openview
GUI Command
Plugin
GUI Event
Openview GUI
OV Event
SNMP Requests
Openview Event
Subsystem
SNMP Trap
Proxy Agent
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AgentSNMP - Example
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Management Patterns



Simulate common patterns of agent communication.
Designed to be difficult to manage without a
sophisticated management framework.
Examples
– Client/Server pattern
» One server agent replies to requests made by some number of client
agents.
– Agent Mobility pattern
» Agents move from host to host, manager must keep track of their
locations.
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Management Patterns (Client/Server)
Server
Server
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Management Patterns (Migration)
Server
July 13, 2017
“Proxy”
Agent
29
Management Patterns
30 clients
15 clients
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30
Summary


Uses well-researched, proven network management
techniques.
Provides standard method for managing agent
platforms.
– Performs basic management tasks.
– Detects overloaded agents.
– Monitors communication patterns between agents.
– Tracks agent mobility.

Integrates with industry-standard management tools.
– HP Openview
July 13, 2017
31
Future Work

Add agent management to FIPA specification
– All platform implementations would implement a standard
management scheme.

Alternative management protocols
– SNMP is still standard.
– Others are gaining popularity and provide more sophisticated
support.
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Questions
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