Construction of support tools to assist an agent system.
Tokihiro Fukatsu, Masayuki Hirafuji, Takuji Kiura · 2008
We previously developed an agent system with a function to access Web servers via HTTP and to operate flexibly according to users’ requests with agent configuration files (Profiles) to autonomously manage Web-based sensor nodes such as Field Servers. In the Profiles, a combination of agent commands and production rules are described in order to respond to various situations. The more they are used in many situations, the more support tools for the agent system are required for easy management. In this paper, we constructed assist components, a standardized form for handling data, an application to control the agent system and a tool for making the Profiles, to assist in this through a Web interface for the agent system. The standardized form was constructed by some default files and defined directory structure to treat collected data easily for users on the Web. The control application was designed using a Java Servlet, and displays a status list of agent operation, accepts new Profiles, and interacts with the agent system. With the control application installed, users can manage the agent system easily via the Web page. The making tool helps users describe the Profiles by selecting and combining templates (accessed via the Internet) from items such as node types, sensor parameters, and operation contents. Users can make Profiles to input suitable information from these templates. By coordination of the standardized form, the control application and the making tool, users can seamlessly send new requests to the agent system without efforts via the Web. It is expected that the system will become a new user interface that can be customized to handle various Web systems in the same way.