TuCSoN: an Internet-based Infrastructure for the Coordination of Open and Distributed Multi-agent Systems

TuCSoN is a model (and related infrastructure and technology) for the coordination of Internet agents. TuCSoN exploits a notion of local tuple-based interaction space, called tuple centre, which is a tuple space enhanced with the notion of behaviour specification. By programming its behaviour in response to communication events, a tuple centre can embody coordination laws. Several issues critical to Internet applications, such as heterogeneity and dynamicity of the Internet nodes, can then be charged upon tuple centres, and transparently to agents, which can then be designed independently of the different node architectures, according to a straightforward interaction protocol. The TuCSoN coordination language provides agents with a twofold perception of the TuCSoN interaction space, as either as a global space made up of uniquely denoted coordination media, or a collection of local spaces associated to Internet nodes. This suits both roles of Internet agents, that is, as either network-aware entities or (network-unaware) local agents.