Decomposing constraint systems: equivalences and computational properties

Distributed systems can often be modeled as a collection of distributed (system) variables whose values are constrained by a set of constraints. In distributed multi-agent systems, the set of variables occurring at a site (subsystem) is usually viewed as controllable by a local agent. This agent assigns values to the variables, and the aim is to provide distributed methods enabling a set of agents to come up with a global assignment (solution) that satisfies all the constraints. Alternatively, the system might be understood as a distributed database. Here, the focus is on ensuring consistency of the global system if local constraints (the distributed parts of the database) change. In this setting, the aim is to determine whether the existence of a global solution can be guaranteed. In other settings (e.g., P2P systems, sensor networks), the values of the variables might be completely out of control of the individual systems, and the constraints only characterize globally normal state...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: ATAL
• Authors: Wiebe van der Hoek, Cees Witteveen, Michael Wooldridge
• Keywords: ATAL 2011, Constraint Systems, Global Consistency, Intelligent Agents, System Variables