Low-Level Control of ATM Network Elements using Agent Technology

An important issue for the implementation of a system using intelligent agents for controlling a telecommunication network, is to enable low-level access of the network devices by the agent platform, bypassing the control logic inherent in them. This issue has been successfully dealt within the research project IMPACT. This paper will describe how agents can be used to control ATM switches and how ATM capable terminals can be connected to an agent controlled system using a special user agent (the socalled proxy user agent, PUA). The PUA can also assist the user in saving money by choosing the cheapest available service provider for each call. Although the specific implementation is targeted towards an ATM based network, the concepts are generic and can also be used in the adaptation of other network technologies for agent-based control and management. The fact that IP applications can operate seamlessly over the agent controlled ATM network illustrates this generality.