9302522 Cerf A research and development project is proposed to extend the results obtained in the earlier period of this cooperative project among the National Science Foundation, National Library of Medicine, and the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI). Working closely with the National Library of Medicine, CNRI proposed to design and implement a prototype distributed Application Gateway System (AGS) which will be situated between existing and planned NLM information databases and users located on the Internet. An AGS is made up of one or more powerful network servers interlinked on a high speed local area network. The AGS can service users with simple interactive terminals or it can accept and process Knowbot programs which embody active search strategies constructed at the User Agent but interpreted by the AGS. Each element of the distributed AGS system can be configured to provide access to unique or replicated services. At the completion of the proposed three-phase effort, the multiple components of the AGS will be manageable from a network-based management station. To test the theories behind the Knowbot-based Application Gateway System, it is proposed to deploy an experimental, scalable system on the National Library of Medicine campus, link it to the Internet and to explore its functionality and performance in that operational setting.
