Fault Tolerant Middleware for Agent Systems: A Refinement Approach

Abstract

Agent technology offers a number of advantages over traditional distributed systems, such as asynchronous communication, anonymity of individual agents and ability to change operational context. However, it is notoriously difficult to ensure dependability of agent systems. In this paper we present a formal approach for the top-down development of fault tolerant middleware for agent systems. We demonstrate how to develop the middleware that besides providing agent coordination is also able to cope with their failures. We focus on handling agent crushes and transient faults caused by volatile communication environment. We argue that formal development of middleware with integrated fault tolerance mechanisms has potential to enhance dependability of an agent system.