Cooperative distributed problem solving
Cooperative Distributed Problem Solving is a network of semi-autonomous processing nodes working together to solve a problem, typically in a multi-agent system. That is concerned with the investigation of problem subdivision, sub-problem distribution, results synthesis, optimisation of problem solver coherence and co-ordination. It is closely related to distributed constraint programming and distributed constraint optimization; see the links below.
Aspects of CDPS
- Neither global control nor global data storage - no individual CDPS problem solver (agent) has sufficient information to solve the entire problem.
- Control and data are distributed
- Communication is slower than computation, therefore:
- Loose coupling between problem solvers
- Efficient protocols (not too much communication overhead)
- problems should be modular, coarse grained
- Any unique node is a potential bottleneck
- Organised behaviour is hard to guarantee since no one node has the complete picture
See also
Some Relevant Books
- Meisels, Amnon (2008). Distributed Search by Constrained Agents. Springer. ISBN 978-1-848-00040-7.
- Yokoo, Makoto (2001). Distributed constraint satisfaction: Foundations of cooperation in multi-agent systems. Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-67596-9.
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