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Last updated: [[User:Mstone|Michael Stone]] 23:43, 26 July 2009 (UTC) | [[Network2/Paper|paper version]]
Last updated: [[User:Mstone|Michael Stone]] 04:15, 15 January 2010 (UTC) | '''[[Network2/Paper|paper version]]'''


Sugar's desired realtime collaboration experience can only be provided atop a robust and efficient network stack designed to accommodate automated diagnosis and standardized workarounds -- anything less only wastes students' and teachers' time and patience, contrary to our [[OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/Design Fundamentals/Key Design Principles|human interface guidelines]].


⚫
This '''unfinished''' essay summarizes an attempt to work out a simple way to realize this sort of network experience, with existing software and hardware, while also demonstrating the sort of thinking which might help other parts of the system achieve the same standard of quality.
Sugar's view of realtime collaboration (see [[network principles]]) relies on a robust network stack, which does not exist today. Its intended user experience relies on something stronger: a network which fails in predictable ways, and can be manually overridden in order to get on with a desired behavior of Activities.


'''Quick links''': '''[[Network2/Paper|the Paper]]''' : (finished/''unfinished'' sections)
⚫
This essay summarizes an attempt to work out a simple way to realize this sort of network experience, with existing software and hardware, and to demonstrate the sort of thinking which might help other parts of the system contribute to the same user experience.


* Previous essays and efforts : [[networking]], [[collaboration]].
* Prior work: [[networking]], [[collaboration]], [[network principles]]
* Background statements : [[Network2/Purpose|purpose]], scenarios,
* Background: [[Network2/Purpose|purpose]], [[Network2/Scenarios|scenarios]], [[Network2/Architecture|architecture]]
* Designs: [[Network2/Design|naming and internetworking]], ''[[Network2/Security|security ideas]]'', [[Network2/Diagnosis|diagnosis techniques]]
* Analyses: ''[[Network2/Dynamics|cost model]]'', ''[[Network2/Self-test|self-test algorithm]]''
* Experiments: [[Network2/Experiments/Dnshash|dnshash]], [[Network2/Experiments/Openvpn|openvpn]], ''[[Network2/Experiments/HE|6to4: HE]]'', ''[[Network2/Experiments/Sixxs|6to4: Sixxs]]'', ''[[Network2/Experiments/Simulation|simulation]]'', ''[[Network2/Experiments/openwrt|openwrt]]'', ''[[Network2/Experiments/tinydns|olpcdyndns1]]''


'''Personal goals...'''
Specific goals from a discussion with [[user:mstone|Michael]]:
⚫
# "I want to chop out 2-3 layers from the current six-layer network stack."
# "I want to name my machine heap.mstone.info and have that identifier work whether I am sitting under a tree with a mesh link to you or on a wide-spread network."
# "I want to be able to go to /etc/hosts and type in the address I want in case it can't be found otherwise, and have it just work"
# "I want a design that never mandates single points of failure."


# "I want to use familiar tools in my activities, -- like Twisted, curl, ssh, rsync, and email -- both under a tree, in a walled garden, and out on the public Internet, without modification or wrappers."
# "I want a design that has 20% fewer ways to fail, and that offers manual overrides for the failure modes that remain."
⚫
# "I want to chop 2-3 levels from the current collaboration stack's 6-level 'fast-path'."
# "I want to collaborate with people who only have web browsers -- they outnumber people with Jabber clients by millions."


'''Finally, to help out''', please improve my writing, experiment with my ideas, and share this work with your friends!
= Longer essay =
== Usability ==
There are many ways that children involved in the OLPC effort might fail to benefit from their involvement because of network design and implementation failures such as lack of interoperability, efficiency, and usability.


==Subpages==
In order to address these risks, we have tried to explain a [[Network2#Context|context]] of work, a number of [[Network2#Design|designs]], and several [[Security#Design|implementations]] that we think will help mitigate these threats in both '''wikified''' (below) and '''[[Network2/Paper|paper]]''' forms.
{{Special:PrefixIndex/{{PAGENAMEE}}/}}


Unfortunately, providing truly dependable software is a '''challenging''' task at best. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can help out, both [[Developers|generically]], [[Network2#Contributions|particularly]], or via [[Network2/Audience|role-based scaffolding]] according to your preferences. Finally, if you are interested in speaking with [[Network2/Credits|networking people]], know that they are readily available.

== Context ==

This network design effort is growing in the fertile ashes of previous [[Networking|network]] and [[Collaboration|collaboration]] attempts. Consequently, it proceeds from previously realized [[Network Principles]] according to a multi-faceted statement of [[Network2/Purpose|purpose]], a prioritized list of [[Network2/Scenarios|network scenarios]], and a collection of architectural [[Network2/Architecture|quality principles]] wrought from the aforementioned previous efforts.

== Details ==

Networking is intimately related to all aspects of the Sugar experience, including both usage and creation. Here are some pages describing many aspects of this experience. (Caveat: When judging, please also note that the design is '''not yet complete''' in several important respects, as indicated below.)

==== Usefully complete ====

; [[Network2/Design|Naming and Internetworking]]
: We intend to use DNS and IPv6 for naming and internetworking.

; [[Network2/Diagnosis|Diagnosis]]
: Our [[Network2/Architecture|quality principles]] mandate that we provide fault diagnosis procedures even before providing implementations!

; [[Network2/Experiments|Experiments]]
: We have begun experimenting with naming and tunneling technologies like [[Network2/Experiments/Dnshash|dnshash]] and [[Network2/Experiments/Openvpn|openvpn]].

==== Stubs ====

; [[Network2/Advice|Activities]]
: We provide advice for activity authors on special factors to consider when writing networked or collaborative activities.

; [[Network2/Security|Security]]
: Thoughts on where we might want to go with communications security.

; [[Network2/Dynamics|Dynamics]]
: In order to efficiently study scaling costs, we maintain bandwidth and latency models for our most important links, protocols, and implementations.

; [[Network2/Self-test|Self-test]]
: A logical extension of good ''manual'' diagnosis procedures is the creation of good ''automated'' diagnosis procedures.

; [[Network2/Future work|Future work]]
: As with any ambitious project, there's always more to do!

==== To Be Done ====

; [[Network2/Management|Management]]
: How do we dynamically configure links and routes?

; [[Network2/Integration|Integration]]
: How do we get this merged?


== Contributions ==

You can contribute to the education received by hundreds of thousands of children this year by:

; writing software
: Review the documentation cited above, then bring your questions and patches to the [mailto://sugar-devel@lists.sugarlabs.org sugar-devel mailing list] ([http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel subscribe]).

; refining the context and design
: Did we miss an important threat (e.g. to availability)? If so, please work with us to fix our model.
: Alternately, if you have expertise in a related field like mathematical modeling (''how far can this scale?'') or usability (''how should we inform users of failure?''), please improve our theories and recommended practices.

; breaking assumptions
: Networking is proven both in the mind and under fire. Here's your opportunity to crank up the heat.

; organizing other people
: Many people are capable of improving the networking ecosystem but for the lack of some critical resource like knowledge, motivation, or criticism. Find and provide the missing piece.

; spreading the word
: Many of our networking ideas are transferable to other operating systems and environments -- particularly to other Unix-like machines. Help port our ideas or software to another platform so that others can benefit from them and can help us improve them on their own terms.

== Procedures ==

Some day soon, we'll try to write up some simple procedures to ease the task of making the networking contributions described above. Ping the [mailto://sugar-devel@lists.sugarlabs.org sugar-devel list] ([http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel subscribe]) if you want this up.

== Thanks ==

Many people, both named and anonymous have contributed to the network ecosystem containing the XO and hence to the quality and power of the education received by hundreds of thousands of kids this year. If you or your organization would like to be recognized for your contributions, please add your name and affiliation to the [[Network2/Credits|Network2 credits]] page along with a brief description of what you worked on.


[[Category:Network2]]
[[Category:Network2]]

Latest revision as of 04:15, 15 January 2010

Last updated: Michael Stone 04:15, 15 January 2010 (UTC) | paper version

Sugar's desired realtime collaboration experience can only be provided atop a robust and efficient network stack designed to accommodate automated diagnosis and standardized workarounds -- anything less only wastes students' and teachers' time and patience, contrary to our human interface guidelines.

This unfinished essay summarizes an attempt to work out a simple way to realize this sort of network experience, with existing software and hardware, while also demonstrating the sort of thinking which might help other parts of the system achieve the same standard of quality.

Quick links: the Paper : (finished/unfinished sections)

Personal goals...

  1. "I want to use familiar tools in my activities, -- like Twisted, curl, ssh, rsync, and email -- both under a tree, in a walled garden, and out on the public Internet, without modification or wrappers."
  2. "I want a design that has 20% fewer ways to fail, and that offers manual overrides for the failure modes that remain."
  3. "I want to chop 2-3 levels from the current collaboration stack's 6-level 'fast-path'."
  4. "I want to collaborate with people who only have web browsers -- they outnumber people with Jabber clients by millions."

Finally, to help out, please improve my writing, experiment with my ideas, and share this work with your friends!

Subpages

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