Deploying a Distributed Deploying a Distributed SymposiumSymposium

Planner Through Rule Responder Planner Through Rule ResponderHarold BoleyHarold Boley

Benjamin Craig Benjamin Craig

Institute for Information TechnologyInstitute for Information TechnologyNational Research Council, Canada National Research Council, Canada

Fredericton, NB, CanadaFredericton, NB, Canada

RuleML-2008 ChallengeRuleML-2008 ChallengeOrlando Florida Orlando Florida

October 30-31, 2008October 30-31, 2008

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OutlineOutline Rule Responder OverviewRule Responder Overview Symposium Planner Use CaseSymposium Planner Use Case

AgentsAgents Personal / Organizational / ExternalPersonal / Organizational / External

Rule Engines Rule Engines (for Realizing Agents)(for Realizing Agents) ProvaProva OO jDREWOO jDREW

Communication Middleware Communication Middleware (for Connecting (for Connecting Agents)Agents) Mule ESBMule ESB Reaction RuleML Messages Reaction RuleML Messages

Online DemoOnline Demo ConclusionConclusion

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Overview of Rule ResponderOverview of Rule Responder Rule Responder is an experimentalRule Responder is an experimental

multi-agent system for collaborative multi-agent system for collaborative teams and virtual communities on the teams and virtual communities on the WebWeb

Supports rule-based collaboration Supports rule-based collaboration between the distributed members of between the distributed members of such a virtual organizationsuch a virtual organization

Members of each virtual organization are Members of each virtual organization are assisted by semi-automated rule-based assisted by semi-automated rule-based agents, which use rules to describe the agents, which use rules to describe the decision and behavioral logicdecision and behavioral logic

Implemented on top of a Mule-basedImplemented on top of a Mule-basedService Oriented Architecture (SOA)Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

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Use Case: Symposium Use Case: Symposium Planner Planner

RuleML-20xy SymposiaRuleML-20xy Symposia An organizational agent acts as the single point An organizational agent acts as the single point

of entry to of entry to assistassist with the symposium: with the symposium: Currently, query answering about the symposium Currently, query answering about the symposium Ultimately, preparing and running the symposium Ultimately, preparing and running the symposium

Personal agents have supported symposium Personal agents have supported symposium chairs since 2007 (deployed as Q&A in 2008)chairs since 2007 (deployed as Q&A in 2008)

General Chair, Program Chair, Panel Chair, Publicity General Chair, Program Chair, Panel Chair, Publicity Chair, etc.Chair, etc.

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Organizational AgentsOrganizational Agents

An organizational agent represents An organizational agent represents goals and strategies shared by each goals and strategies shared by each member of the organizationmember of the organization

It contains rule sets that describe the It contains rule sets that describe the policies, regulations, opportunities, policies, regulations, opportunities, etc. of its organization etc. of its organization

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Personal AgentsPersonal Agents

A personal agent assists a single A personal agent assists a single

personperson

of an organization, (semi-of an organization, (semi-

autonomously) acting on his/her autonomously) acting on his/her

behalfbehalf Can be thought as delegating routine Can be thought as delegating routine

work to an assistantwork to an assistant

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External AgentsExternal Agents External agents exchange messages External agents exchange messages

with (the public interface of) with (the public interface of) organizational agents, asking queries, organizational agents, asking queries, receiving answers, or interchanging receiving answers, or interchanging complete rule sets complete rule sets

End users, as external agents, employ a End users, as external agents, employ a Web (HTTP) interface of Rule Responder Web (HTTP) interface of Rule Responder (currently an API-like browser interface)(currently an API-like browser interface)

Support for simultaneous external Support for simultaneous external agents: Currently, end users (B2C)agents: Currently, end users (B2C)Ultimately, other organizations (B2B)Ultimately, other organizations (B2B)

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Infrastructure - OverviewInfrastructure - Overview

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Reaction RuleMLReaction RuleML

Reaction RuleML is a branch of the Reaction RuleML is a branch of the RuleML family that supports actions and RuleML family that supports actions and events events

When two agents need to communicate, When two agents need to communicate, each others’ Reaction RuleML messages each others’ Reaction RuleML messages are sent through the ESBare sent through the ESB

Carries RuleML queries, answers, and Carries RuleML queries, answers, and rule bases to/from agentsrule bases to/from agents

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Rule EnginesRule Engines

Prova: Prolog + JavaProva: Prolog + Java

OO jDREW: Object OrientedOO jDREW: Object Orientedjava Deductive Reasoning Engine for java Deductive Reasoning Engine for the Webthe Web

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ProvaProva

Prova is mainly used to realize the Prova is mainly used to realize the organizational agents of Rule organizational agents of Rule ResponderResponder

It implements Reaction RuleML for It implements Reaction RuleML for agent interaction (event-condition-agent interaction (event-condition-action rules)action rules)

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OO jDREW OO jDREW

OO jDREW is used to realize theOO jDREW is used to realize thepersonal agents of Rule Responderpersonal agents of Rule Responder

It implements Hornlog RuleML for It implements Hornlog RuleML for agent reasoning (Horn logic rules)agent reasoning (Horn logic rules)

Supports rules in two formats:Supports rules in two formats: POSL: POSL: Positional Slotted presentation Positional Slotted presentation

syntaxsyntax RuleML: RuleML: XML interchange syntaxXML interchange syntax

(can be generated from POSL) (can be generated from POSL)

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Communication MiddlewareCommunication Middleware MuleMule Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)

Mule* is used to create communication Mule* is used to create communication end points at each personal and end points at each personal and organizational agent of Rule Responderorganizational agent of Rule Responder

Mule supports various transport Mule supports various transport protocolsprotocols(e.g. HTTP, JMS, SOAP)(e.g. HTTP, JMS, SOAP)

Rule Responder currently uses HTTP and Rule Responder currently uses HTTP and JMS as transport protocolsJMS as transport protocols

* Mule – The open source SOA infrastructure: http://mulesource.com

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Online Use Case DemoOnline Use Case Demo Rule Responder:Rule Responder:

http://responder.ruleml.orghttp://responder.ruleml.org

RuleML-2007/RuleML-2008 Symposia:RuleML-2007/RuleML-2008 Symposia:http://ibis.in.tum.de/projects/paw/ruleml-2007http://ibis.in.tum.de/projects/paw/ruleml-2007http://ibis.in.tum.de/projects/paw/ruleml-2008http://ibis.in.tum.de/projects/paw/ruleml-2008

Personal agents:Personal agents:Supporting all ChairsSupporting all Chairs

Organizational agent:Organizational agent:Supporting Symposium as a wholeSupporting Symposium as a whole

Online

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ConclusionConclusion Rule Responder was implemented & Rule Responder was implemented &

tested for various use cases tested for various use cases ((http://responder.ruleml.orghttp://responder.ruleml.org) and deployed for ) and deployed for RuleML-2008 Q&ARuleML-2008 Q&A

Its organizational agents delegate Its organizational agents delegate external queries to topic-assigned external queries to topic-assigned personal agentspersonal agents

It couples rule engines OO jDREW & It couples rule engines OO jDREW & Prova via Mule middleware and RuleML Prova via Mule middleware and RuleML 0.91 XML interchange format0.91 XML interchange format