What is an Agent Name Server?
An Agent Name Server (ANS) is a utility agent that provides a 'white pages'
service, matching agent identities to their actual network location. This role
is analogous to the Domain Name Servers (DNS) that facilitate Internet
communication by translating names into I.P addresses.
The Zeus ANS is an inherently simple entity, consisting of a communication
mechanism and a look-up table to hold the names and network locations of all
the agents that register with it. This information is queried by any agent
needing to know the network address of another.
Connecting to a Name Server
As the Visualiser does not maintain a registry of known agents it must obtain
this information from the ANS before it can function properly. There are two ways
in which the Visualiser can connect to an ANS:
- Automatically ... the Visualiser can be started from the command line
with the -quick flag, this will instruct it to immediately connect to
the ANS specified in its name server file.
- Manually ... once the Visualiser has started it can be instructed to
connect to an ANS by selecting the Connect to Name Servers option from
the File menu. This will bring up a dialog listing all known name servers,
from which the user can choose which to connect to.
Once connected to an ANS the Visualiser will be informed of any changes to the
name server's registry, (i.e. if new agents appear or existing agents disappear).
The Visualiser can break its connection with an ANS at any time through the
Disconnect from Name Servers option from the File menu.