An Agents Toolkit to Support Distributed Simulations

The authors are developing a series of intelligent software agents, collectively referred to as AgentsTools, for the express purpose of aiding those involved in the establishment, execution, and monitoring of distributed simulations, including HLA/RTI compliant simulations AgentsTools are being prototyped in a Phase I SBIR program for STRICOM using Java, Java’s RMI (Remote Method Invocation) extensions, and ObjectSpace’s Voyager. These are all readily available, standards-based COTS products. (Voyager permits the remote creation of agents, the ability to send remote Java messages, multiple messaging modes, and provides many other features that lend themselves to this domain of applicability). We have formulated agents that will assist the simulation user in settingup, managing, and analyzing distributed simulations. Our Phase I goal is to fully develop a subset of intelligent software agents (extracted from our overall AgentsTools design set), and to demonstrate the viability of this technology as a complement to the existing and evolving HLA/RTI framework. This paper describes our Phase I activities, and provides the latest insights into intelligent agents and their application to distributed simulations. A comprehensive agents bibliography is also included.