Abstract

JIAC IV is a generic agent toolkit which is intended as a service-ware framework for the realisation of applications in the areas of telecommunications, mobile services, and electronic commerce. We motivate the need for open, scalable, and flexible systems and hence the advantages of agent technology in these areas. Then, we describe the basic architectural principles of CASA, which builds the structural and functional base of agents in JIAC IV. The component framework of CASA makes agents highly scalable and allows reconfiguration at run-time. The control architecture of CASA combines reactive, deliberative, and interactive capabilities to control agent behaviour in a flexible manner.