A Hybrid Approach to Network Performance Monitoring Based on Mobile Agents and CORBA

While mobile agent frameworks were initially thought as rivals to static distributed objects the two approaches should ideally coexist. Mobile agents can allow the easy programmability of managed nodes, while static distributed objects typically offer better performance. Real synergy could be achieved in a network management system if entities with a stationary role could be provided using static objects that collaborate with mobile agents in a system that combines the best of both frameworks. In this paper we present such a hybrid approach, illustrated through a prototype network performance monitoring system based on an integration of Mobile Agents and CORBA. Our assessment of this system based on our practical experiences and experimental evaluation shows that such a hybrid approach can provide an easy and favorable solution for enhancing existing CORBA-based network management systems.