Using Domain-Independent Exception Handling Services to Enable Robust Open Multi-Agent Systems: The Case of Agent Death

  • Authors:

  • Mark Klein;Juan-Antonio Rodriguez-Aguilar;Chrysanthos Dellarocas

  • Affiliations:

  • Center for Coordination Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology NE20-336, Cambridge, MA 02139 m_klein@mit.edu;iSoco S.A., C/Alcalde Barnils, 64-68, 08190 Sant Cugat del Valles, Barcelona, Spain jar@isoco.com;Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology E53-315, Cambridge, MA 02139 dell@mit.edu

  • Venue:
  • Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
  • Year:
  • 2003

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Abstract

This paper addresses a simple but critical question: how can we create robust multi-agent systems out of the often unreliable agents and infrastructures we can expect to find in open systems contexts? We propose an approach to this problem based on distinct exception handling (EH) services that enact coordination protocol-specific but domain-independent strategies to monitor agent systems for problems (‘exceptions’) and intervene when necessary to avoid or resolve them. The value of this approach is demonstrated for the ‘agent death’ exception in the Contract Net protocol; we show through simulation that the EH service approach provides substantially improved performance compared to existing approaches in a way that is appropriate for open multi-agent systems.