Authors: Micah Beck, Terry Moore, Bert J. Dempsey, and Rajeev Chawla
In this paper we explore the issues involved in creating a content model for the Internet2 Distributed Storage Infrastructure (I2-DSI), a scalable system of servers that provides storage-based, content-oriented services on the Internet2 research networks. The key questions surround the construction of a portable, scalable software infrastructure that will support replicated content channels in a highly heterogeneous network. This software infrastructure and its associated content model must be developed in the context of I2-DSI's two main architectural concepts: replication of servers to provide identical services and transparent resolution of client requests to the most proximate replica. We set the stage for our discussion of portable content channels by presented a unified account of replication and resolution in Internet information systems that encompasses caching and replicated servers. Against this background we present the issues of content portability raised by trying to replicate servers in heterogeneous environments, describe a deliberately limited strategy that will allow us to deploy some initial channels quickly, and discuss the requirements that more robust models must meet to achieve a solid, long-term solution for I2-DSI.
Full Paper: postscript