An agent-based infrastructure for enterprise integration

Some of the features that make Jackal (Java-based Applications Communication using KQML Agent communication Language) extremely valuable to agent development are its conversation management facilities, its flexible, blackboard-style interface and its ease of integration. Jackal has been developed in support of an investigation of the use of agents in enterprise-wide integration of planning and execution for manufacturing. This paper describes Jackal at a surface level and at the design level, and demonstrates its use in a multi-agent system that supports intelligent integration of enterprise planning and execution.