Decentralized Resource Allocation in Application Layer Networks

Application-layer networks (ALN) are software architectures that allow the provisioning of services requiring a huge amount of resources by connecting large numbers of individual computers. The ALN simulation project CATNET evaluates a decentralized mechanism for resource allocation in ALN, which is based on the economic paradigm of the Catallaxy, against a centralized mechanism using an arbitrator object. In both versions, software agents buy and sell network services and resources to and from each other. The economic model is based on self-interested maximization of utility and self-interested cooperation between agents. This article describes the design of money and message flows for centralized and decentralized coordination in both versions and shows preliminary results.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: CCGRID
• Authors: Torsten Eymann, Michael Reinicke, Oscar Ardaiz, Pau Artigas, Felix Freitag, Leandro Navarro
• Keywords: ALN Simulation Project, CCGRID 2003, Cluster Computing, Decentralized Coordination, Decentralized Mechanism