Jackal

A Communications Infrastructure for Java-based Agents


Jackal is a Java package which provides a comprehensive communications infrastructure for Java-based agents, while maintaining maximum flexibility and ease of integration. Jackal facilitates the use of the KQML agent communication language, and employs a new, sophisticated protocol for agent naming, addressing and identity (KNS). Message handling is conversation based; conversation specifications can be downloaded and employed on the fly in Jackal's multi-threaded conversation space. A blackboard style interface provides the agent application with a maximally flexible interface to the message stream. Modules for communicating via different protocols, standard or user-defined, may also be loaded on the fly.

Jackal was developed under the auspices of the CIIMPLEX project, a NIST ATP sponsored initiative of IBM Corporation. We are delighted to offer this resource to the community, and look forward to further developing Jackal to meet the needs of researchers worldwide.

Jackal Availability

Initially released through IBM alphaWorks; Jackal's most current versions can be obtained from this site.

Please note that only Jackal 3.1.0 (Everest) and subsequent releases will be made available.  Jackal 3.0.6 (Olympus) has been discontinued. 

Click to submit a request.


Release Status

The current release is 3.1.0 (Everest) build 392

You should obtain the most current Jackal bundle from this site. Outdated items are grayed.

PACKAGES (Selected releases only):

Everest

  • Jackal 3.1.0.345 (December 14, 1999) - Replacement library (JDK 1.2.2) - Bug fixes, enhancements
    • Download patch to Everest build 204
    • Note: This is a patch for Jackal 3.1.0.204 (alphaWorks) ONLY.
  • Jackal 3.1.0.392 (November 9, 2000) - Complete release (JDK 1.3) DOWNLOAD

RESOURCES:

Conversations

  • Conversation templates for all releases reside at ftp://jackal.cs.umbc.edu/conversations.

    • Note: You do not need to download these files; Jackal will load them automatically from the URL specified in the agent's configuration file. If you do decide to follow the above link to view or download conversation templates, be aware that some problems have been seen with Netscape Navigator. If you have difficulty accessing this link, try using MS Internet Explorer, or a standard FTP client.

 

Please submit bug reports to . When possible, please include the full version specifier (e.g. version.release.revision.build; get this by running 'java J3.Version'), and a trace of all debugging information that was displayed.


News

Update 11/9/00 - The maintenance release Jackal 3.1.0.392 is now available, and work is underway for the next version and expanded documentation.

Update 9/20/99 - Pending release through alphaWorks, Jackal 'Olympus' is being discontinued. Please transition to 'Everest'. There are no known compatibility issues.

Update 5/25/99 - Please upgrade to the latest versions of Everest and Olympus.

Update 9/10/98 - Jackal development under IBM CIIMPLEX sponsorship will halt 9/11/98, at version 3.0.6. More news about how this relates to the release, and further development of Jackal will be posted here as soon as it becomes available.

Update 12/29/98 - The most recent build of Olympus (Jackal IBM Final 3.0.6) is currently available. Before the new year, it will be joined by the long awaited release of Everest (Jackal 3.1.0), slated as the initial offering in a series of exciting advancements.

Update 12/31/98 - Just under the wire... Everest is now available!


  • Learn about the history of the Jackal project.

  • Feel like a safari? Visit the gallery. Don't miss the new Corbis Collection.

Key Publications:

Last updated: 6/5/01 R. Scott Cost