Automatic construction of systems of distributed components from nested Petri nets models

Abstract

Multi-level multi-agent systems (MASs) with dynamic structure are widely used in solving important applied problems in telecommunication, transportation, social, and other systems. Therefore, ensuring correct behavior of such systems is an actual and important task. One of the most error-prone stages of system development in the framework of model-oriented approach is the implementation stage, in the course of which a program code is constructed based on the model developed. This paper presents an algorithm for automated translation of MAS models represented as nested Petri nets into systems of distributed components. Nested Petri nets are the extension of Petri nets in the framework of the nets-within-nets approach, which assumes that tokens in a Petri net may themselves be Petri nets, possess autonomous behavior, and interact with other tokens of the net. This makes it possible to model MASs with dynamic structure in a natural way. The translation presented in this paper preserves distribution level and important behavioral properties (safety, liveness, and conditional liveness) of the original model and ensures fairness of the target system execution. The use of such translation makes it possible to automate construction of distributed MASs by models of nested Petri nets. As a test example, translation of nested Petri nets into systems of distributed components was implemented on the basis of the EJB component technology.