B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

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Figure 13.4. — Mobile agent architecture
13.8. Agents and Mobility
Software Agents 391
Mobility is the ability of agents to migrate in a self-directed way from
one host platform to another. Mobile agents are capable of migrating
from one computer to another to execute a set of tasks on behalf of
their owners (see Figure 13.4). These agents gather, filter and analyze
data from multiple sources (nodes of the network) and present a subset
of this data to another agent or owner.
For example, a computer manufacturing company that needs semiconductor
chips on a regular basis could have intelligent agents that
monitor its internal inventory, usage forecasts and patterns and launch
mobile purchasing agents when the inventory goes down. These agents
would traverse different B2B e-marketplaces and suppliers and collect
information about the chips based on specifications. They would then
evaluate the prices, logistics, delivery date, etc. and make a decision
about the supplier, negotiate the terms of the transaction, place orders
and make secured automatic payments. At any stage, if agents feel that
a human intervention is required, they will generate messages for users
and notify them.
13.8.1. Benefits of using mobile agents
Asynchronous, adaptive and bandwidth-saving natures of mobile agents
make them ideal for B2Bi. The main benefits of using mobile agents
are: