@TechReport{Dartmouth:TR98-327,
  author = {Robert S. Gray},
  title = {{Agent Tcl: A flexible and secure mobile-agent system}},
  institution = {Dartmouth College, Computer Science},
  address = {Hanover, NH},
  number = {PCS-TR98-327},
  year = {1998},
  month = {January},
  URL = {http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/reports/TR98-327.ps.Z},
  comment = {
    Ph.D. Thesis.<br>
    <a href="http://agent.cs.dartmouth.edu/papers/">Related papers.</a>
  },
  abstract = {
    A mobile agent is an autonomous program that can migrate under its own
    control from machine to machine in a heterogeneous network.  In other
    words, the program can suspend its execution at an arbitrary point,
    transport itself to another machine, and then resume execution from
    the point of suspension.  Mobile agents have the potential to provide
    a {\em single, general framework} in which a wide range of distributed
    applications can be implemented efficiently and easily.  Several
    challenges must be faced, however, most notably reducing migration
    overhead, protecting a machine from malicious agents (and an agent
    from malicious machines), and insulating the agent against network and
    machine failures.  Agent Tcl is a mobile-agent system under
    development at Dartmouth College that has evolved from a Tcl-only
    system into a multiple-language system that currently supports Tcl,
    Java, and Scheme.  In this thesis, we examine the motivation behind
    mobile agents, describe the base Agent Tcl system and its security
    mechanisms for protecting a machine against malicious agents, and
    analyze the system's current performance.  Finally, we discuss the
    security, fault-tolerance and performance enhancements that will be
    necessary for Agent Tcl and mobile agents in general to realize their
    full potential.
  }
}