Enhancing DisCSP-Netlogo from Simulation to Real-execution of Agents in Distributed Constraints

The use of agent-based simulation models in NetLogo for research is growing rapidly in a number of fields of science and engineering, including in computer science, for example for analyzing the performances of asynchronous search techniques based on distributed constraints. Distributed Constraint programming (DisCSP/DCOP) is a programming approach used to describe and solve large classes of problems such as searching, combinatorial and planning problems. The purpose of this paper is to present an open-source and complete solution in NetLogo that allows modeling, simulation and evaluation of the distributed constraints using single computer or clusters, simulation or real execution. Our tool allows the use of various search techniques and also the evaluation and analysis of the performance of the asynchronous search techniques in two manners: simulation mode and real execution. We also explain our methodology for running the NetLogo models in a cluster computing environment (simulation mode) or on a network of computers ( simulation real execution). This tool is aimed to allow the evaluation of distributed algorithms in conditions as similar as possible to the real situations. c © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of KES International.