Agent-based modeling and simulation of Complex Distributed Systems

The complexity of complex distributed systems (CODS) is essentially attributed to the inherent autonomy of the sub-systems and the dynamic intricate interactions among the sub-systems. Since agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) is good at modeling and simulating such systems where there are a large number of heterogeneous entities behaving independently, ABMS is well suitable for CODS. This paper identifies ABMSpsilas main differences compared to conventional simulation approaches, and analyzes briefly some important ABMS platforms relevant to CODS. Finally, ABMS of biological systems is discussed as typical of CODS.