A mobile agent-based framework for active networks

This paper presents a framework for active networks. The framework is based on mobile agents. Protocols can be implemented within mobile agents and dynamically deployed at end systems. Moreover, networked applications, including client/server programs built on TCP/IP, can be dispatched to remote computers. This framework has been implemented on a Java-based mobile agent system designed for active networks. The utility of this framework was demonstrated by introducing two networked services that support human activities dynamically into a network that initially lacked them.