Network Technology for Distributed Plant Automation

 This paper briefly describes the goals and strategies of the PABADIS project that uses software agent technology to create distributed structures in plant automation. Subsequently, we discuss the network requirements for flexible automation systems, in particular with respect to plug-and-participate mechanisms. Finally, we investigate whether mobile agents are reasonable in such a context. It will be shown that atomicity is a strong argument in favor of mobility, and that mobile agents can improve the flexibility and robustness of the system.