A generic multi-agent conceptual framework towards self-management

The high complexity of existing networks and services has led to the need to increase the autonomy of management solutions. This article presents a generic agent-based framework as a first step towards the conception of self-managed systems. This conceptual framework consists of groups of management agents coupled with managed resources and endowed with specific management skills. These groups of agents share a common representation of the managed environment which is specified with a dedicated model. From the analysis of this model, local and social agent behaviors are automatically deduced, thus participating in the overall autonomy of the management framework. An instance of this multi-agent framework is presented through an automatic intrusion response system