To be able to clearly distinguish what in this context is referred to as "conventional" client-server technology from mobile agent technology, some terms need first be defined.
Agent
As defined by the Object Management Group (OMG), an organization that develops standards for component-based software systems , an agent "is a computer program that acts autonomously on behalf of a person or organization."
Mobile Agent
A mobile agent is an object that is "not bound to the system where it begins execution. It has the unique ability to transport itself from one system within a network to another."
Place
A place is "a context where an agent can execute." . Furthermore, the terms agent platform and agent system will be used synonymously according to the OMG definition :
"An agent system is a platform that can create, interpret, execute, transfer, and terminate agents. Like an agent, an agent system is associated with an authority that identifies the person or organization for whom the agent system acts."
Because mobile agent technology is a general-purpose computing platform, it has been called a "solution in search of a problem." In the following, we will examine the advantages that such a platform offers for distributed and parallel computing and the problems that prevent its widespread success. Subsequently, a brief overview of state-of-the-art agent systems is provided, together with an examination of how these systems address the continuing challenges of mobile agent computing.