The design of the distributed ABELS brokering system

Many simulations and other applications need to interact seamlessly with distributed data resources. The Agent-Based Environment for Linking Simulations (ABELS) allows the formation of a dynamic "data and simulation cloud" that links a heterogeneous collection of networked resources. ABELS consists of three major types of components: user entities that serve as data producers and/or consumers, a brokering system for organizing and linking the various participants, and generic local agents that connect simulations and data resources to the cloud of participants. This paper presents the design of the distributed brokering system, which is implemented using Java and Sun Microsystems' Jini technology.