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A Multi-Agent Message Transfer Architecture based on the Messaging Middleware ZeroMQ

메시지 지향 미들웨어 ZeroMQ 기반의 다중 에이전트 메시지 전송 구조

  • 장혜진 (상명대학교 컴퓨터소프트웨어공학과)
  • Received : 2014.11.14
  • Accepted : 2015.01.29
  • Published : 2015.04.15

Abstract

This paper suggests a multi-agent message transport architecture based on the message-oriented middleware ZeroMQ. Compared with the other middlewares such as CORBA, Ice, and Thrift, ZeroMQ receives a good score in the evaluation of performance, QoS (Quality of Service), patterns, user friendliness, and resources. The suggested message transfer architecture borrowed many basic concepts like agent platform, AMS (Agent Management System), and MTS (Message Transfer System) from FIPA (Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents) standard multi-agent specifications, and the architecture inherited the strength of the architecture from the multi-agent framework SMAF (Smart Multi-Agent Framework). The architecture suggested in this paper is a novel peer-to-peer architecture which is not known to the ZeroMQ community. In the suggested architecture, every MTS agent uses only one ZeroMQ router socket to support peer-to-peer communication among MTS agents. The suggested architecture can support closely collaborating software areas such as intelligent robots as well as the traditional application areas of multi-agent architecture. The suggested architecture has interoperability and scalability with the ZeroMQ devices and patterns.

본 논문은 CORBA, Ice 등의 다른 미들웨어들과 비교하여 성능, 품질, 사용자 편의성 등에서 높은 평가를 받고 있는 공개 메시지 지향 미들웨어인 ZeroMQ 기반의 다중 에이전트 메시지 전송 구조를 제안한다. 제안 구조는 FIPA 에이전트 표준 규격들로부터 MTS(Message Transfer System) 등의 개념들을 빌려와 사용하고 있으며, 다중 에이전트 플랫폼 SMAF(Smart Multi-Agent Framework)의 구조적 장점을 계승한다. 제안 구조는 ZeroMQ 커뮤니티에 알려져 있지 않은 새로운 방식의 피어 대 피어 구조를 사용한다. 제안 구조는 MTS 마다 단 하나의 라우터 소켓만을 사용하여 MTS들 간의 피어 대 피어 통신을 지원한다. 제안 구조는 ZeroMQ가 지원하는 다양한 장치들과 패턴들에 대한 호환성과 확장성을 가지며, 전통적인 분산 에이전트 응용 분야들 뿐 아니라 에이전트들 간의 밀접한 협력을 필요로 하는 지능형 로봇과 같은 분야도 지원할 수 있다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Supported by : 상명대학교

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