Study On Multi-Agent System And Its Application In Data Backup

A large number of important data, which might be considered a huge asset, are stored in files or databases on enterprise information platform. To prevent the data---our enterprise property from loss by virus, disk damage and sudden disaster, there's an urgent need to backup these data in a timely and secure manner. Existing backup system bares some shortage: 1) integration of file backup and database backup has not yet been considered, either file or database backup dwells in one system.2) Operation of backup is comparably complicated, in particular for files and data which are stored heterogeneously or remotely, specialized trainees are needed. 3) Existing backup system acts passively under the instruction of operator, lacking intelligence during process. So enterprise management informatization calls for centralization, simplification and intelligentization of data backup.Multi-Agent theory and technique can largely improve cooperating ability of varies kinds of software distributed in heterogeneous environment, favorable to control the complexity of distributed computing and adapt to construct an interactive and parallel distributed systems which can be managed centralizedly and simply and be available to certain intelligences. The features of Multi-Agent System (MAS) make it favorable to construct a centralized, simplified and intelligent data backup system.The thesis studies the Agent and MAS based on the Application Basic Project (No.20027366) named "Research on Intelligent and Secure Data Backup Technology" and sponsored by Chongqing STC. Focused on the shortages of the existing backup system, we present MAS based centralized backup architecture to realize the centralization, simplification and intelligentization of data backup. After studying Contract Net Protocol, General Partial Global Planning (GPGP) and KQML, the thesis presents GPGP based Contract Net Protocol and use KQML to realize it, so that the agents in the backup architecture can cooperate according to the protocol. The main works of the thesis are listed as follows:(1) Present a new centralized backup mode, which overcomes the shortages of traditional decentralized backup mode and meets the centralization and simplification demands of data backup.(2) Present a reasonable approach to construct Agent, establishing agent on the basic structure of distributed objects and using remote method invocation to realize knowledge level communication among agents. The approach makes MAS being open and reusable.(3) Present GPGP based Contract Net Protocol, which resolves the shortages of old Contract Net Protocol and realizes the part intelligentization of assigning backup tasks.(4) Design a centralized backup architecture based on Multi-Agent System. Using KQML to realize the GPGP based Contract Net protocol makes all agents cooperate efficiently and accomplishes centralized, simplified and intelligent data backup.(5) Implement the MAS based centralized backup system.