A formal semantics for agent distribution and fault tolerance in Jason

Abstract

This article provides a formal specification of the distribution and fault-tolerance mechanisms of eJason. The eJason programming language is an extension to the agent-oriented programming language Jason that introduces native support for the transparent distribution of agents as well as fault-tolerance mechanisms. This formal semantics is presented from a multiagent system perspective. It unambiguously describes both the possible evolution of the distributed multiagent system over time and the different instruments for fault detection and fault recovery, hence exposing their strengths. This specification may serve as a reference for researchers interested in the inclusion of similar mechanisms in agent-oriented programming languages. The formal semantics has been mechanized through an (open-source) implementation written in Prolog, which implements both the standard Jason operational semantics, along with the new rules for distribution and fault-tolerance introduced in this article.