Publication - A Cooperative Mediation-Based Protocol for Dynamic, Distributed Resource Allocation

Authors:	Mailler, Roger; and Lesser, Victor
Title:	A Cooperative Mediation-Based Protocol for Dynamic, Distributed Resource Allocation
Abstract:	In this article, we present a cooperative mediation-based protocol that solves a distributed resource allocation problem while conforming to soft real-time constraints in a dynamic environment. Two central principles are used in this protocol that allow it to operate in constantly changing conditions. First, we frame the allocation problem as an optimization problem, similar to a Partial Constraint Satisfaction Problem (PCSP), and use relaxation techniques to derive conflict (constraint violation) free solutions. Second, by using overlapping mediation sessions to conduct the search, we are able to prune large parts of the search space by using a form of arc-consistency. This allows the protocol to both quickly identify situations when the problem is over-constrained and to determine the appropriate repair. From the global perspective, the protocol has a hill climbing behavior and because it was designed to work in dynamic environments, is an approximate one. We describe the domain which inspired the creation of this protocol, as well as discuss experimental results.
Keywords:	Agent Control, ANTs, Communication Protocol, Cooperative Negotiation, Distributed AI, Distributed Problem Solving, Multi-Agent Systems, Negotiation, Real Time
Publication:	IEEE Transaction on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C, Special Issue on Game-theoretic Analysis and Stochastic Simulation of Negotiation Agents, Vol: 36, Num: 1, pp. 80 - 91
Publisher:	IEEE Press
Date:	January 2006
Sources:	PS: /Documents/mailler/mailler-360.ps PDF: /Documents/mailler/mailler-360.pdf
Reference:	Mailler, Roger; and Lesser, Victor. A Cooperative Mediation-Based Protocol for Dynamic, Distributed Resource Allocation. IEEE Transaction on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C, Special Issue on Game-theoretic Analysis and Stochastic Simulation of Negotiation Agents, Volume 36, Number 1, IEEE Press, pp. 80-91. January 2006.
`bibtex`:	@article{Mailler-360, author = "Roger Mailler and Victor Lesser", title = "{A Cooperative Mediation-Based Protocol for Dynamic, Distributed Resource Allocation}", journal = "IEEE Transaction on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C, Special Issue on Game-theoretic Analysis and Stochastic Simulation of Negotiation Agents", volume = "36", number = "1", publisher = "IEEE Press", pages = "80-91", month = "January", year = "2006", url = "http://mas.cs.umass.edu/paper/360", }