ACTS Programme AC338

1. ACTS Programme AC338 Mobile Intelligent Agents for Managing the Information Infrastructure

2. Presentation Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci German National Research Center for Information Technology (GMD) Research Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) Intelligent Mobile Agent Center of Competence (IMA-CC)

3. General Project Information • Duration: March 1998 until February 2000 • Budget: ~ 400 man-months • Web Site: www.fokus.gmd.de/research/cc/ima/miami • Contact: Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci Project Manager GMD FOKUS e-mail: covaci@fokus.gmd.de Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

4. MIAMI Project Partners • P01 GMD FOKUS, Germany (Prime Contractor) • P02 Alcatel Bell, Belgium • A02A Alcatel CIT, France • P03 University College London, UK • A03A Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK • A03B The University of Surrey, UK • P04 Algosystems SA, Greece • P05 Centre de Recherche Informatique de Montréal (CRIM), Canada • P06 France Télécom CNET, France • P07 Hitachi Ltd., Japan Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

5. MIAMI Main Objectives The MIAMI project focuses on the following objectives: • Development and validation of a uniform mobile intelligent agent framework according to the requirements of an open European Information Infrastructure (EII) • Convergence of the OMG MASIF and FIPA mobility specifications Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

6. MIAMI Main Objectives (cont.) • Development of agent-based solutions for managing the open EII and provision of Advanced Communication and Information (ACI) services • Contribution to standardisation • Demonstration of results in a pan-European trial Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

7. MIAMI Key Issues • Pan-European cooperative management of advanced telecommunications and information services • Interaction between management systems of different management domains in an Electronic Commerce context • Business-process-driven relationship between the service management layer and the network management layer • Security in agent based systems (platforms and applications) Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

8. Scope of MIAMI The MIAMI project will focus on: • The investigation of benefits gained from the mobility of agent intelligence in the context of telecommunications management and ACI services, and • Implementation and validation of the MIAMI framework in a pan-European test-bed with selected network management and ACI service scenarios. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

9. Outside the Scope The MIAMI project will not focus on: • Developing and validating solutions for interoperability among heterogeneous agents or agent systems • Developing and validating an extended agent communication language Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

10. Security in MIAMI MIAMI focuses on security solutions supporting the deployment of the MIA technology in open electronic commerce environments: • Authentication of agents and agencies • Access control to agencies‘ resources • Secure agent interactions • Secure agent transport Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

11. Current State of MIAMI • Completed activities: • Mobile agent platforms evaluation • Selected initial platform: Grasshopper of IKV++ • Agent platform enhancement requirements analysis • Deliverable D1 (August 1998) • Activities in progress: • Enhanced agent platform specification and design • Application case studies • Subsequent activities: • Platform enhancements implementation (start 11/1998) • Applications design and implementation (start 01/1999) Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

12. MIAMI Deliverables The MIAMI Project will produce the following deliverables: • D1 Platform Enhancement Requirements 08/98 • D2 Platform Enhancement Specification 11/98 • D3 Case Studies 01/99 • D4 Case Study Prototypes 09/99 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

13. Technical Approach The MIAMI project develops: • An improved MIA platform and • Two trial applications based on it: • The Active Virtual Pipe (AVP) and • Demonstration of network and service management based on agents • The Virtual Enterprise Builder (VEB) • Demonstration of agent based applications and communication services Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

14. Active Virtual Pipe Pro-active component of the MIAMI information and communication infrastructure: • Provision of advanced communication and connectivity services in the business context (dynamic “VPN” - resources on demand) • Agent based network management: • QoS management • Fault management • Configuration management • Use of multiple transport network providers • Spot market for network resources • Provision of basic VE management services (generic workflow management capabilities) Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

15. Virtual Enterprise Builder Interactive tool for creation and administration of a VE with support for: • Finding business partners • Negotiating among business partners • Creating the VE contract • Automatically configuring the AVP according to the contract • Monitoring and managing VE activities (generic workflow management support) Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

16. Searchs for service Consumer Subscriber Virtual Enterprise Searchs AVP Provider Offers resoures Contract negotiation VE Initiator Administration Virtual Market Place Provider Searchs for business partners Content Provider VE Administrator Service Provider AVP Provider Offers resoures Connectivity Provider Searchs for Connectivity Provider Offers resoures MIAMI Enterprise Model Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

17. VE Initiator Agents in Market Place(Example) • The virtual enterprise initiator identifies the business roles and the business processes. • By the use of the VEB he activates and configures a match maker agent to find business partners for these roles ... Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

18. Virtual Market Place VE Initiator VE Initiator Agents in Market Place(Example) • ...and sends the match maker agent to the virtual market place. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

19. Company X Company Y Company Z VE Initiator Service A1 Service A2 Service A3 Agents in Market Place(Example) Virtual Market Place • Meanwhile: Some companies/brokers have sent advertising agents to the VMP. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

20. Company Y Company X Company Z Virtual Market Place 100 Stones 80 Stones 70 Stones VE Initiator Service A2 Service A1 Service A1 Service A3 Service A2 Service A1 Service A2 Service A1 Service A3 Service A3 Service A3 Service A3 Service A2 Service A1 Service A2 Service A3 Service A1 Service A2 Service A3 Service A1 Service A2 How much? ... How much? ... How much? ... Agents in Market Place(Example) • Sophisticated negotiations are possible. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

21. Company X Company Y Company Z VE Initiator Service A2 Service A3 Service A1 ??? Agents in Market Place(Example) Virtual Market Place • Finally, the match maker agent selects a business partner. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

22. Company X Company Y Company Z VE Initiator Service A1 Service A2 Service A3 Agents in Market Place(Example) Virtual Market Place • He continues searching for other partners ... ... or goes back to present results. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

23. Business Business Virtual Virtual Enterprise Enterprise Virtual Enterprise Process Process Builder Management Management Generic AVP Generic AVP Generic Generic Workflow Workflow Configurator Configurator Management Management Connectivity Connectivity Generic CP Generic CP Management Management Configurator Configurator CP CP Market Place Management Management Components of the MIAMI Framework Virtual Enterprise Domain Active Virtual Pipe Provider Domain Virtual Connectivity Market Provider Place Domain Domain Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

24. Application of Agents in MIAMI Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

25. Application Fields of Agents in MIAMI • Provision of high-level, dynamically programmable interfaces • Agent-based system components • Service and Network Management • Resource Management • Brokering and market place negotiations • Contract negotiation between VE participants • Generic Workflow Management Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

26. MIAMI Trial Scenario • Real business scenario • Creation and running of a virtual enterprise with distributed participants • Demonstration of the graphical Virtual Enterprise Builder • Creation and administration of VE • Demonstration of the Active Virtual Pipe • Provision and dynamic, role-based management of connectivity • Support for administration of VE Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

27. Virtual Euro Consulting company provides: Interactive lectures about the Euro on demand. Access to a video archive. Access to a document archive. Possibility to submit papers independent of its language, which will be translated if necessary, proof-read, marked, and stored on the web server. MIAMI Trial Scenario (cont.) Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

28. Expected Achievements • MIAMI will clarify the potential of MIA technology regarding the: • Reduction of management traffic load on and increase of the availability of underlying networks • Increase of efficiency and flexibility of the provisioning and execution of management procedures • Reduction of prerequisite consumer knowledge for installation and operation of the solutions • MIAMI will demonstrate the suitability of the MIA technology in electronic commerce applications: • Security services • Transactional services (long life transactions) • Customisation services Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS

29. Summary • The major goal of the MIAMI project is to developa uniform mobile intelligent agent platform with facilities for: • Network and service management • Security management • Advanced communication and information services and validate the platform within a pan-European virtual enterprise trial scenario. • MIAMI concentrates on the OMG MASIF paradigm but also considers integration/convergence with FIPA. • MIAMI will contribute to the next OMG Agent Standard. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Covaci GMD FOKUS