Communication models in mobile computing systems and mobile agents

Abstract

This thesis study covers wired and wireless mobile computing environments, introduces the components of the mobile environment, discusses the constraints of mobility, and contains a taxonomy of the current techniques/ models that reduce the overheads associated with wireless mobile communication. One of the goals of this thesis study was to identify and define communication techniques and models that are used by mobile computing systems to minimize wireless communication cost. The following communication techniques and models have been covered in this study: caching, screen caching, differencing, protocol reduction, header reduction, data access profile, delayed writes, strict and loose reads, semantic callbacks and validators, data allocation, data compression, data scheduling, proxy process, adaptation strategy, resource revocation, auto connect/disconnect, and adaptive antennas. The trade-offs between these techniques/models have also been presented. Other goals of this study were to introduce scripts and mobile agents, and explore their security features in mobile computing environments. The usage of mobile agents in military applications has been investigated. Finally, conclusions and recommendations have been provided for wireless mobile computing and mobile agent technology.