System Name: Concordia
Current Version: V1.1.3
Organization: Mitsubishi Electric ITA
Entry status: authoritative
Supported platforms:
Win32, Solaris, Linux, HP/UX, AIX.
Supported languages:
Java 1.1
Implemented standards: began investigation into FIPA ACL issues
Type of migration:
Weak migration (but with multiple method entry points via Itinerary).
How many threads or processes are possible per agent? In general use, Concordia will create 2 threads, one main thread for Itinerary execution and a second thread for asynchronous event delivery. Agents can create more threads if granted the proper security privilege.
Local communication mechanisms and format of data:
Distributed Events and Agent Collaboration. Data format is arbitrary object subclasses from Concordia base class.
Global communication mechanisms:
Distributed Events and Agent Collaboration. Data format is arbitrary object subclasses from Concordia base class.
How the communication partner can be addressed:
Publish-subscribe type model. Receivers register interest in certain classes of events with central Event Manager. When event is posted, Event Manager forwards event to all registered listeners. Event may be sent directly to agent via its unique Agent ID. Concordia also supports group-oriented events in which messages can be transparently sent to all members of a group of cooperating agents.
Resource access control mechanism:
Server configured access control list. Privileges are granted based on the identity of the user who launched the agent.
Agent tracking:
Home register via mobile agent debugger.
Directory of services:
Global and local using a string identifier. Global directory maintained by optional Directory Manager service.
Type of code migration:
All supported: on demand from sending host, on demand from code server, all classes as a whole from sending host, all classes as a whole from code server.
Other special features:
Encryption of agent during transit. Transactional message queuing for reliable agent delivery. Agent persistence. Graphical server remote administration tool. Graphical Agent Debugger. Agent collaboration framework (distributed information sharing and synchronization for a group of related agents. Agent compression during transit.
Availability:
Binary
License terms:
"Commercial" version available per commercial license. Evaluation kit free for academic use and commercial evaluation.
Article that describe the current system best:
"Security and Reliability in Concordia", In Mobility, Processes, Computers, and Agents, Addison-Wesley, 1999, pp. 525-534.
See Concordia Web site for online copies of papers at:
http://www.meitca.com/HSL/Projects/Concordia/
Year of first publication of systems description: 1997
Project URL: http://www.meitca.com/HSL/Projects/Concordia/
Contacts Email Address: wong@meitca.com, walsh@meitca.com
Last modification date of this entry: Thu Sep 30 22:45:57 MET DST 1999