MASOAERP: A MOBILE AGENT-BASED SERVICE-ORIENTED

INTEGRATION ARCHITECTURE FOR BATCH

CUSTOMIZATION ERP PRODUCTION

Qiu-Shi Cong, Lin Lin

Institute of Information Sciences, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, PR China

Zuo-Ming Huang

Audit information engineering key laboratory, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, PR China

Keywords: ERP Batch Customization, Web Services, Mobile Agent.

Abstract: The IT infrastructures in traditional ERP were managed and owned by one enterprise being switched to

networks of applications owned and managed by many business partners. Through this revolution, ERP

system can be more robust and agile to the transient market opportunities. In view of the fact that distributed

organizations are generally managed using heterogeneous software systems running on heterogeneous

computing environments, Web Services technology provides a higher-level interoperability for leveraging

business activities across the Web either within an enterprise or among collaborating enterprises. On the

other hand, the characteristics of mobile agent systems present a way for resolving heterogeneity. We

believe that the combination of Web services and mobile agents provides a promising computing paradigm

for efficient service selection and integration of inter-organization business processes. This paper proposes

MASOAERP, a mobile agent-based service-oriented integration architecture for batch customization ERP

production. A prototype system is designed to demonstrate that MASOAERP can custom the collaborative

ERP software under the opening, dynamic and changeable environment, realize the business enterprise

alliance resources service of the dynamic state integration.

1 INTRODUCTION

The manufacturing enterprises of the 21st century

are facing an environment where markets are

frequently shifting, new technologies are

continuously emerging, and competition is globally

increasing. The rapidly changing needs and

opportunities of today’s global market require

unprecedented levels of interoperability to integrate

diverse information systems to share knowledge and

collaborate among organizations. The traditional

ERP, which is C/S or N-layer architecture, can only

solve the problem of business process integration

inside of the enterprise, but for the resource

integration and knowledge sharing among the

alliance enterprises it has severe limitation. The IT

infrastructures in traditional ERP were managed and

owned by one enterprise are being switched to

networks of applications owned and managed by

many business partners. Through this revolution,

ERP system can be more robust and agile to the

transient market opportunities.

In the future, the ERP system production under

the Internet computing environment is based on a

platform, which is fruitful in ERP service resource

and has open, dynamic and changeable software

architecture. The challenge provides a scarce

opportunity for our studying collaborative ERP

system theory, method and technology, the study

emphasis of ERP system software and support

platform is changing from C/S to new system

platform. The constructing technology of ERP

system based on new middleware platform shall

make a breakthrough. In the project supported by

national 863/cims subject aid financially (granted

No. 2002aa414040), and the project supported by

Jiangsu province natural science foundation, China

(granted No.07KJD520089), we proposed

MASOAERP, a mobile agent-based service-oriented

integration architecture for batch customization ERP

308

Lin L., Cong Q. and Huang Z.

MASOAERP: A MOBILE AGENT-BASED SERVICE-ORIENTED INTEGRATION ARCHITECTURE FOR BATCH CUSTOMIZATION ERP PRODUCTION.

DOI: 10.5220/0003269503080313

In Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on Informatics and Semiotics in Organisations (ICISO 2010), page

ISBN: 978-989-8425-26-3

production, construct service-oriented dynamic

architecture ERP model under the internet

environment, and discuss the customization

production implement of collaborative ERP system.

2 RELATED WORK

Currently the technologies of enterprise resource

integrations, such as CORBA, XML, Agent and

UDDI, are insufficient for the support of the

dynamic enterprise alliance resource integration,

especially for the support of the inhomogeneous

cross-platform information system are insufficient

and cannot satisfy the customized production of

cooperative ERP based on the Internet computation.

New technologies based on single Web, such as

Web services and mobile Agent, also cannot fulfill

the needs of the dynamic enterprise alliance resource

integration (Wang et al., 2006). Reference (Wang et

al., 2006) presented the cooperative model of the

enterprise inner work-flow, in the proposed model,

agent-based technology provides the workflow

coordination at both inter- and intra-enterprise levels

while Web service-based technology provides

infrastructures for messaging, service description

and workflow enactment. Reference (Lau, 2006)

designed and developed the distributed service

discovery and negotiating system for the

implementation of B2B E-business with the web

service and intelligent agent technology. Reference

(Foukarakis et al., 2006) presented a mobile agent

platform based on the integration of the mobile

agent computing paradigm with Web Services,

WebMages (Web-based Mobile Agent System),

which providing a lightweight agent run-time

environment inside a web container, thus adding

agent functionality to existing Web Servers.

Reference (Artail and Kahale, 2006) presented an

integrated framework based on multi-agent

collaboration and case-based reasoning that can

resolve collaboration issues in the supply chain.

Reference (Kwon, 2006) indicated the deficiencies

of the web service, namely insufficient for the

abundant representation methods and the attractive

strategy, and presented intelligent service and web

service autonomy mechanism based on semantic

cooperation. References (Cil, 2005), (Arantilis et al.,

2006), (Yuan, 2006) researched the web based

information system integration. On the other hand,

many researchers have researched the web based

ERP system. Reference (Zuo-ming et al., 2006)

presented and developed the web based ERP system,

which solved the problem from the simple office

automation to the complicated supply chain

management for the management of the real world

operation process. Chinese scholars have done some

work also, for example, Reference (Petrie and

Bussler, 2003) analyzed the evolution trend of ERP,

proposed the element model of the service oriented

architecture and the ERP system integration strategy.

Based on the traditional ERP architecture, it also

proposed a kind of service oriented ERP integration

model. The author also made in-depth study on the

ERP production model, reference[11] proposed the

ERP batch customized development model based on

version management driven by enterprise

requirement and exactly pointed out that the batch

customization is the direction for the ERP

production mode. Enlightened by the references

above, through studying about the Service-Oriented

Architecture and mobile agent technology, we

propose the service oriented collaborative ERP

customization based on mobile agent. The aim of

our study is to provide a new implement project for

the batch customization of collaborative ERP

product under the internet computing environment

by utilizing the application resource intra- and extra-

enterprise to dynamically integrate and aggregate the

service component according to the enterprise

demand and the dynamic model.

3 INTEGRATION OF SERVICE-

ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE

AND MOBILE AGENT

Service-oriented computing (SOC) is considered as

a new computing paradigm after the object-oriented

paradigm. It utilizes services as fundamental

elements for developing applications/solutions.

Services are autonomous platform-independent

computational elements that can be described,

published, discovered, orchestrated and programmed

using XML for the purpose of developing massively

distributed interoperable applications. Web services

technology is part of the SOC paradigm and can be

considered as an implementation of the SOC model.

Web services provide an appropriate paradigm for

building open large-scale application environments,

such as ERP. In such environments, services are not

treated as isolated and one-time affairs but rather as

elements of an interactive, dynamic and

collaborative architecture.

Mobile agent is a kind of program that can be

transferred autonomously from one host computer to

another under the heterogeneous network

environments and can interoperate with other agent

MASOAERP: A MOBILE AGENT-BASED SERVICE-ORIENTED INTEGRATION ARCHITECTURE FOR BATCH

CUSTOMIZATION ERP PRODUCTION

309

or resource. Besides of the properties of software

agent, mobile agent has the property of mobility, it

can be transferred autonomously from one host

computer to another in the network to realize the

appointed task for the user.

The customization production of collaborative

ERP product under the Internet computing

environment is driven by enterprise demand and

based on enterprise dynamic model to realize the

cooperation integration of enterprise service. Pure

Web-based technologies, including Web services,

cannot fulfill the needs of enterprise applications,

particularly in that: (1) the Web service discovery

mechanism is not enough for driving enterprise

alliance creation at run time; (2)the Web service

description is not enough for driving enterprise

alliance services description that is semantically

intensive; and (3) the Web services business

processes description, orchestration, and security

have hardly reached a maturity for process

automation.

Combining Agent with Web services is the

developing direction of SOC. In the computing

paradigm, every software component is a service

and an agent also. Under the special application

environment, it provides uniform service. Huhns and

Singh predicted[12]:“Agent would become the

important part of most Web based application.”

Here we propose a different integration method

of MA and Web services. In our method, MA is a

kernel inside every Web service, and Web service is

a container. MA is the base of Web service

architecture. In this model, MA isn’t used as the

former or protocol of service communication, but

used as basic software entity encapsulated in Web

services.

We combine MA with Web service to construct

the architecture of enterprise application. This

method not only could make full use of both

advantage, but also conquer the limitation derived

from applying the two techniques separately, and

construct the service integration architecture

required by the mass customization of ERP product

under the Internet. The publishing, finding and

binding of Web service could be looked as terminal

service programs with relatively long life cycle,

which usually responds remote request and is fit for

remote service transfer. MA is intellectual software

component, which is conscious, dynamic and

autonomous. It could contain state parameters and

data, and automatically move between two running

host computers, so it is fit for part service transfer.

Because classical agent is on special platform and

designed tight coupled with special agent, which

means it couldn’t coupled with agent of other kind,

the service model restricts the interoperability of

agent. Our method provides an independent platform

to realize MA system. We put the MA into Web

service, and use XML to describe the state and data

of MA. SOAP is used for the communication of

agent to transmit state parameters of MA and

attachment information. The remote communication

of MA is realized by Web service as follows. Firstly

Web service publishes the service with intellectual

element of MA; and then finds and binds the object

service by service agent; finally, the host computer

of Web service accepts, executes and dispatch agent

code.

Figure 1: The integration model of MA based Web service.

Dynamic model based on MA and interoperation

protocol based on Web service could provide

flexible, re-constructed and coordinate solution to

execute the business process management inside or

cross the enterprise. The integration model of MA

based Web service is shown in figure 1. During the

moving process, SOAP is used as transmission,

communication and safety mechanism. Web service

is executed in the host computer through MA, and

visits other service resource safely. The figure has

three parts:

(1) MA: it is consists of code, state and data. At

first it is run in a host computer, and then transferred

to another host computer to accomplish task.

(2)Web service host computer: Web service is

installed in the host computer and it realizes the

functions that correspond with accepting and

transmission MA.

(3) Agent factory: MA is established and

dispatched to the network.

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4 MASOAERP: MA-BASED

SERVICE-ORIENTED

ARCHITECTURE

COLLABORATIVE ERP

SYSTEM

The “description, publishing, finding, binding and

interaction” enterprise service architecture expressed

by SOA and the “establishment, execution, freezing,

migration and extinction” of software lifecycle of

mobile agents fulfill the characteristics of the

application dynamic service integration in the open

Internet environment. Mobile agent-based, and

service-oriented collaborative ERP software solution

has to meet with following requirements: 1) The

whole collaborative ERP software system should be

built by a series of “rough grain” component, which

are mobile agent-based enterprise business service

component, inner-enterprise application services and

inter-enterprise service cooperative agents, and

should be loosely coupled. The functions are

expressed in the form of rough grain services, and

each kind of service can express its business value

clearly. The rough grain service providing form

makes the large-scale software service possible, and

provides the agility of construction and

reconstruction of ERP systems in the open, dynamic

and uncertain environment of Internet. 2) Self-

description of application service units of each layer

can be made in a standard way. The descriptions

should be understandable by enterprise cooperative

agents, and processable by computers. Dynamic

publishing, finding, matching, binding and

management services can only be carried out

according to these descriptions. 3) Lifecycle

management systems of enterprise system service

components, in charge of the test, simulation, and

optimized assembly and migration, should be

provided. 4) Lifecycle management systems of

enterprise services, in charge of dynamic creation,

state migration, performance monitoring, and service

termination, should be provided. 5) Management

systems of enterprise applications, in charge of

registration, access, controlling, and service

relationship termination, etc. should be provided. 6)

Enterprise application solution based on process

integration should be provided. Flexible information

sharing mechanism should be provided.

In the open, dynamic and uncertain environment

of Internet, the architectural structure of the mobile

agent-based, and synthesized service-oriented

cooperative ERP software is depicted as figure 2.

The services are divided into three layers: inter-

enterprise web services, intra-enterprise application

services and composite application business

component services. Accordingly, the three layers’

services can be described by three domains, namely,

inter-enterprise service domain, enterprise

application service domain and business component

service domain. The services are managed layeredly,

and layers of the services indicate the constraint and

dependency between services. Inter-enterprise web

services, intra-enterprise application services, and

composite application business component services

are of the first, second and third layers, respectively.

Inter-enterprise services are top-layered, while the

application business component services are bottom-

layered. And higher-layered services are dependent

on the implementation of lower-layered services.

Figure 2: The mobile agent-based service-oriented

cooperative ERP software model.

In the enterprise service domain， on the one

hand, business users can release their services to the

enterprise service agents through their own self-

description enterprise Web services, register

enterprise Web services in the business services

agents, publish enterprise service functions and

interfaces. Enterprise service agents are responsible

for the coordination and management work, such as

information Enterprise service registration,

positioning, bundling services and so on. On the

other hand, when enterprises users request for

service, the users register in the enterprise service

agents first, after the success of registration, the

enterprise service agent match the demand service

by the petitioner, and sent the service information to

the service requester, the service request Mobile

Agent visit to the service providers, service

providers and service bundle with the petitioner to

provide them services. Here the following detailed

descriptions：

MASOAERP: A MOBILE AGENT-BASED SERVICE-ORIENTED INTEGRATION ARCHITECTURE FOR BATCH

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(1) Enterprise Service Agent is a set of server

groups.

(2) Mobile Agent-based enterprise Web services,

strip heterogeneous characteristics of local resources

through standard protocols to provide transparent

services. Mobile Agent-based business services have

reciprocal (P2P) authority, that is, to meet a variety

of agreements and norms under the premise of equal

use of resources. All Mobile Agent-based enterprise

Web services, in accordance with business needs

and business model of dynamic work flow services,

share Resources, collaborate Mutually, serve each

other and Complete a common task. When Mobile

Agent-based Web services rely on the relationship

between them, we can gain the control and

Management through mutual consultation and

cooperation.

(3) Mobile Agent-based business services are

independently responsible for their own resource

scheduling, and dynamically interact with the

business services agents ,to make them understand

real-time enterprise resource information services

and dynamically change management decision-

making , coordinate resources "compete" resources

"exclusive" and other conflict resources, in

accordance with specific circumstances.

(4) The Mobile Agent-based business services to

other business services and information through the

use of authority, can only be authorized by business

service agent. Once two Mobile Agent-based

business services establish connections, all matters

can be completed by coordination between the two

sides without intervention of enterprises services

agent.

Depending on the given task’s requirement, the

cooperation between two mobile agent-based

enterprise service can takes the direct/active model

or direct/active model. Using the direct/active non-

terminate model, the service requester mobile agent

sends active non-terminate service request to the

service provider mobile agent, asking the provider to

actively provide service to the requester when the

conditions are met. When the provider has received

the service request, it will make direct/active service

promise to the requester. Immediately the conditions

are met, the provider will provide service actively,

and return the result accordingly. Using the

direct/active terminate model, the service requester

mobile agent sends active terminate service request

to the service provider mobile agent, asking the

provider to actively provide service to the requester

when the conditions are met. When the provider has

received the request, it will make active terminate

service promise to the requester. Immediately the

conditions are met, it will provide service actively,

and return the results accordingly, and the

cooperation is terminated.

In the enterprise application service domain,

application service agent is established. The agent is

responsible of the query, detection, binding

coordination, and other enterprise application

services. Enterprise applications (such as PDM,

DRP, CRM, SCM) are encapsulated using mobile

agent-based web services, and registered at

application service agents. Implementing the

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), the

working mechanism is similar to the inter-enterprise

services, except it is confined intra-enterprise.

Business component is the software component

that can finish some enterprise business function,

such as production plan management, storage

management, order management and plant control.

In the collaborative ERP software production based

on mobile agent and service-oriented integration

framework, the business component is the service

component encapsulated by web service based on

mobile agent technology and is different from the

traditional business component. In the business

component service domain, the agent based

component function structure is composed of service

encapsulation module, communication module,

apperception module, control and cooperation

module, task processing module, which is shown as

Figure3.

Figure 3: Based on MA function structure.

(1) Task processing module. Based on current

knowledge and certain rules to judge the reasoning,

the implementation of specific function or functions

of the method. By this way, the task is

accomplished.

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(2) Communication module. It mainly

responsible for the link between the Mobile Agent. It

can not only transmit other Agent request / response

signals to the task processing module, but also

transmit collaboration / consultations messages of

task processing module to other mobile Agent.

(3) Sensing module. It is used to sense the

stimulation from external environment, and

transmits the corresponding information to the

control module. Firstly, control and coordination

module do the filting and abstract process. The result

is formatting meaningful symbols which

corresponds the objects in external environment.

Then it search corresponding method in the function

to match. So the corresponding decision-making is

got.

(4) Control and coordinated module. It is

central role in all modules. All modules are managed

by it. Through the coordination of the results, the

final decision of the implementation of specific

tasks, storage and management of all processing

tasks and records the task of state.

(5) Service encapsulation module. It will

encapsulate the Mobile Agent into independent

service. It has the characteristics of SOA framework.

And it can access through a standard interface so

that the different components of services call each

other. As independent service resources for the

provision of in the network to other components, it

can provide service to other components of a more

flexible relationship between loosely coupled.

(6) Security module. To meet the business

components with high reliability and security

requirements, we add security module into

application business components. The multi-level

authentication and security mechanisms are

increased. Business services component of the

integrity of the information is ensured.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Under the opening, dynamic and changeable Internet

environment, the resource sharing and integration

has become the challenge of the computer software

technology. This paper presented the MASOAERP,

collaborative ERP software model based on mobile

Agent service, to construct dynamic collaborative

ERP software model based on service under the

opening Internet environment, and solve the ERP

resource integration under the opening, dynamic and

changeable Internet environment. In addition, we

discuss the ERP product custom-built batch

implementation under the opening Internet

computing environment. The prototype system

implemented according to the model will prove that

the service-oriented integration framework can

construct the collaborative ERP system, implement

the resource service of the dynamic enterprise

alliance, and construct the new web based

collaborative ERP software production model.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research was supported by the Jiangsu

Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China

under Grant 07KJD520089, and supported by

Nanjing Audit University in China under Grant

NSK2007/A02.

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