The Agent Name Server (ANS) acts as a storehouse of agent names, host machines, and port numbers. It keeps track of agent locations so that, should an agent relocate to another host machine, other agents will still be able to find it. The ANS helps to manage inter-agent communication by providing a mechanism for locating agents in a dynamic network.

An agent registers with an ANS by providing its name, hostname, and port number. If the agent's registration information changes (e.g, the agent is moved to another host machine), it must re-register with an ANS, preferably the same one. Agents locate other agents by querying the ANS that stores the location data of the agents they want to find.

In order to demonstrate how an ANS works, this user guide provides instructions for registering agents manually. However, bear in mind that the process of registering with an ANS is typically performed automatically by the agents themselves.