System Name: muCode
Current Version: 1.0
Organization: Politecnico di Milano
Entry status: authoritative
Supported platforms:
Java 1.1 *and* higher
Supported languages:
Java
Implemented standards: none
Type of migration:
weak
How many threads or processes are possible per agent? unlimited number of threads per agent
Local communication mechanisms and format of data:
µCode doesn't support per se any form of local communication. However, two APIs that interface with µCode are being developed: one (called Lime) uses transiently shared tuple spaces, the other is an event mechanism.
Global communication mechanisms:
µCode doesn't support per se any form of global communication. However, an APIs based on a variation of a global snapshot algorithm is being developed that provides guaranteed message delivery. Also, the aforementioned Lime API can be used for global communication as well.
How the communication partner can be addressed:
System generated IDs.
Resource access control mechanism:
none
Agent tracking:
via the aforementioned global snapshot mechanism
Directory of services:
none
Type of code migration:
all the above, as well as user specified. muCode provides the building blocks for dealing directly with relocation of code and state
Other special features:
Mobile agents are not the main focus of µCode. Indeed, they are available in µCode as an example of the expressive power of the API, that instead focuses on the basic mechanisms that enable code mobility.
The user can use the migration primitives provided in µCode or, using the core features, implement new ones that better suit the programmer's needs. This way, a number of different flavors of mobile agents are easily implemented.
Availability:
binary and source code
License terms:
open source under the LGPL
Article that describe the current system best:
"µCode: A Lightweight and Flexible Mobile Code Toolkit"
In Mobile Agents, Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Mobile Agents 98 (MA'98), Stuttgart (Germany), K. Rothermel and F. Hohl eds., September 1998, Springer, Lecture Notes on Computer Science vol. 1477, ISBN 3-540-64959-X, pp. 160-171.
Year of first publication of systems description: 1998
Project URL: http://mucode.sourceforge.net
Contacts Email Address: picco@elet.polimi.it
Last modification date of this entry: Tue Oct 31 13:20:46 MET 2000