[SIO-SWAP] Name service and File exhange on SWAP

[Geoff Davis]

Steve Foley wrote:

> 
> 
> Val Schmidt wrote:
> 
>> We could alternatively leave the swap boxes as they are and let 
>> individual
>> ships collect the dns file when they want and serve it up locally from 
>> their
>> SWAP Host. This prevents us from having to mucky with dns on the swap
>> devices and puts the onus on the ship/institution. 
> 
> 
> Maybe Im not completely understanding the issue (got my head in another 
> network right now), but DNS is really just a way to map names to 
> numbers. If that's all we are looking to do, why not delegate control of 
> a subdomain to each ship, and let them advertise their name/number 
> mapping. For example, Melville could be the DNS master for 
> melville.swap.unols.org (or whatever domain). In each DNS setup, it 
> would be helpful to hand out the name/number mappings for the DNS 
> servers. Yes, this would hammer up each ship's DNS server address by 
> hand, but if SWAP DNS is handled by the SWAP device, dont we know this 
> address already?
> 
> The ship is going to know what names and numbers are most 
> appropriate/accurate/applicable to its ship. Pushing the knowledge of 
> what hosts are onboard to an entity off the ship seems counter 
> productive and an invitation for everyone to get out of sync.

I kinda thought this was the entire point of SWAP - sharing information 
between ships. We are already approaching SWAP as being totally and 
utterly insecure.

Yes there could be sync issues, but that's why I'm suggesting a 
shore-stored table. The master copy is always on shore, eliminating an 
additional level of syncronization complexity.
> 
> However, if we are looking for an even trickier way of advertising 
> dynamic computing services across the network, then we are talking about 
> something more than just name/number mapping, so DNS really isnt the 
> right technology (at least in its current form).

Actually, if you read up on the mDNS protocol aka Apple's Rendezvous 
system, that's _EXACTLY_ what it does.
> 
> 
>> File Transfer:
>> --------------
>> There are a few flavors I've thought about.
>>
>> 1) Nothing automated. You just plop the files you want to share on a web
>> server and let the peer ship browse for them and download what they will.
>> Low tech.
>>
> 
>> I like option 1 best for low tech ships and institutions and option 3 
>> best
>> for higher tech ones. 
> 
> 
> During the initial stages of SWAP thought, #1 was the scenario that we 
> had envisioned. Lately, Ive been working with people trying to swap 
> files with shore through our satellite system (much like I suppsoe they 
> would with another ship). Surprisingly or not, I have found that (a) 
> scientists have different equipment and ways of working and (b) a lot of 
> the preferred methods are remarkably low tech. Yes, its true that some 
> scientists will be willing to do whatever they need to for files to be 
> swapped, but I think a lot of scientists will really want to swap files 
> their way. Some bring macs, some PCs, some no machines at all. Some want 
> FTP right to their destination from their laptop, others would rather 
> nfs and copy to a server that will proxy it across the link. Generally, 
> people just like to email files.
> 
> The bottom line is that I think file transfer is going to be a moving 
> target that varies with the science party. Id say let's standardize on a 
> really simple method to make sure all SWAP vessels can exchange files, 
> then let the individual scientists decide how they want to do it. 
> Chances are, if they are swapping files with people on the other ship, 
> they already have (or will have to anyway) agree on what gets sent and 
> how it will be received.
> 
> Just my $0.02,
> -Steve
> 
I agree with you on this. My whole thinking for it was to allow the less 
technical ships to have some sort of mechanism for file transfer.