Mobile Agents for Telecommunication Applications [electronic resource] : 4th International Workshop, MATA 2002 Barcelona, Spain, October 23-24, 2002, Proceedings /

Agent Architectures, Frameworks and Platforms -- Options for Reusing Agent Conversations -- Multi-management Schemes for MAF Platforms -- An Architecture for Negotiation with Mobile Agents -- Mobile Agent Frameworks for Telecommunication Services -- Internet Agents for Effective Collaboration -- Programming and Executing Telecommunication Service Logic with Moorea Reactive Mobile Agents -- Generic Engineering Approach for Agent-Based System Development -- Mobile Agents in Active Networks -- An Ecosystem-Inspired Mobile Agent Middleware for Active Network Management -- An Enhanced Mobility Management Mechanism for Active Access Networks -- An Architecture for Active Network Performance Management Based on Intelligent Agents -- Context Aware and Ad Hoc Communications -- Agent-Based Context-Aware Ad Hoc Communication -- Designing Multimedia Service Agents for Mobile Users -- A Mobile Agent-Based Framework for Configurable Sensor Networks -- Distributed Monitoring and Network Management -- Evaluation of Migration Strategies for Mobile Agents in Network Routing -- A Hybrid Approach to Network Performance Monitoring Based on Mobile Agents and CORBA -- Mobile Agent Distribution in a Game-Theoretic Approach -- Security for Mobile Agents -- Anonymous Communications for Mobile Agents -- Implementation of Secure Architectures for Mobile Agents in MARISM-A -- Mobile Computing and QoS Management -- Quality of Service Management in IP Networks Using Mobile Agent Technology -- Transparent QoS Support of Network Applications Using Netlets -- FIPA-Based QoS Negotiator for Nomadic Agents -- Migration and Network Management -- System and Network Management Itineraries for Mobile Agents -- Four Multi-agent Architectures for Intelligent Network Load Management -- Automated Management of IP Networks through Policy and Mobile Agents -- Mobile Services -- Facilitating Agent Messaging on PDAs -- Mobile Agents for Discovering and Accessing Services in Nomadic Environments -- Collaborative Environments and Services -- An Extensible Mobile-Agent-Based Framework for Coordinating Distributed Information Retrieval Applications -- Seamless Incorporation of Agents in an E-Commerce Intermediation Platform -- UNITE - An Agent-Oriented Teamwork Environment.

Research in the telecommunications ?eld suggests that future network infrastructures will be composed of sensors, wireless devices, personal digital assistants, networked appliances and numerous types of services. This brings up key issues such as unfamiliar users and service interfaces, discovering services that match user’s needs, ?nding and tracking people and resources, establishing useful contacts and appropriate associations between resources and users, and managing a large number of dynamic network entities all of which must be performed in an automated and proactive manner with a certain degree of autonomy and mobility. These are the main characteristics exhibited by mobile software agent behavior, making the technology more suitable for future telecommu- cation applications and services. It also reveals the tremendous potential for the mobile agent paradigm. The potential complexity of mobile agent operation requires that mechanisms exist on several levels to coordinate its activities. For this purpose research and development on various forms of mobile agents continues to grow in a staggering fashion. Age- based applications and services such as network management, e-commerce, information gathering on the Internet, mobile communications, active networking, and most recently ad hoc communications are becoming increasingly popular and continue to contribute to the development and to the success of mobile agent technology. In addition it is well established that mobile agents is an ideal sister technology for mobile ad hoc networks where users, applications, services, devices and networks are mobile and dynamically con?gurable.