Mobile agents: the next generation in distributed computing

Mobile agents are programs that can move through a network under their own control, migrating from host to host and interacting with other agents and resources on each. We argue that these mobile, autonomous agents have the potential to provide a convenient, efficient and robust programming paradigm for distributed applications, particularly when partially connected computers are involved. Partially connected computers include mobile computers such as laptops and personal digital assistants as well as modem connected home computers, all of which are often disconnected from the network. We describe the design and implementation of our mobile agent system, Agent Tcl, and the specific features that support mobile computers and disconnected operation. These features include network sensing tools and a docking system that allows an agent to transparently move between mobile computers, regardless of when the computers connect to the network.