Journal and Overlays: Difference between revisions

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**requires a mechanism to track connections
**requires a mechanism to track connections


=== School Server Issues ===
school server issues


*how to signal laptop that we are ready to go?
*how to signal laptop that we are ready to go?

Revision as of 20:15, 1 June 2007

This is the beginning of working up how to integrate Union File Systems and the Journal. Using AUFS-type overlays it should be possible to support both Sugar-specific and legacy applications in a fairly natural way as far as integrating into the Journal mechanism.

Journal Population (automated)

on start (pre-launch) create an overlay tree like so:

  • core-system image
  • application's installation image
  • opened file r/o image (empty initially)
  • current r/w image (empty initially)

on individual file open:

  • if present on the system already
    • hard link the individual file from origin into r/o image
  • otherwise acquire and store in the r/o image directory
  • file name choice
    • auto-resolve (original + suffix if necessary)?
    • or on conflict choose overwrite/rename (allows you to "revert" to a previous version of the file)

on open journal (project name-space):

  • load all files from journal record in r/o layer of image
    • allow for conflict resolution
  • then allow selection of the particular file to open

on file save:

  • metadata entry optional (tags for journal)
  • stores as a name within the journal's "project space"
  • no special instrumentation required for legacy applications

on application close (handled by overlay/chroot manager):

  • create Journal entry (with application information)
    • record referenced file uris (files loaded into space)
    • record (real, underlying) filenames in journal for new/changed files
    • do not move or alter files on disk
  • does cut/copy and paste produce a "reference"?
  • allow Journal notes/metadata and the like

Backup of Journal

on backup

  • record backup uri/uuid for the file + local file
  • record encryption key for file (encrypted w/ the uri)
  • upload encrypted package with metadata and changed files
  • record backup (tentative) flag (should have a signed return-receipt from the top-level backup server before we trust that it's really "safe")

Sharing Journal Entries

The Journal should allow for sharing individual files or Journal entries (project name-spaces) with individuals, groups (e.g. classes or groups of friends or project-mates) or the whole world.

Sharing Operation

  • if local, share file data + uri + document key
  • if not local, share uri + document key
  • default no share
    • "class" share option (need to find your class)
  • sign request to share for backup
  • encrypt sharing certificate for target users if not public
  • what about the underlying files?
    • do we want one uuid and key per file? yes
    • select which files to share rather than the whole environment
  • journal entry is itself a sharable file
    • share referenced resources? (when we own them) question on share
    • what about derivative works? Does the original source need to sign off on sharing?
  • publish sharing certificate via whatever means
    • email
    • direct share via IM
    • publish on server
      • personal log channels (tags)
    • references fields
    • pass to someone else to forward

Comments

  • references field in certificate
  • normally text payload, but allow any content type
  • share resource as normal

Blog/Syndication Interfaces

  • display public postings
  • allow filter by tag and date
  • comments inserted by web "user" into separate account with references fields
  • private comments shared directly with user

Server Considerations

Backup Issues

  • needs to know who, how much,etc
  • should only give to:
    • backup server (signed cert)
    • if desperate, someone who sees a backup server regularly
    • requires a mechanism to track connections

School Server Issues

  • how to signal laptop that we are ready to go?
    • don't want 300 uploads at 08:00 and none at 08:01
    • especially as users will be starting working
    • do backup when we have local bandwidth spare (prefer, but get it done)
  • how to prioritise uploads/downloads?
    • how urgent is your upload?
    • how much have you transferred already?
  • how to serve files?
    • https server?
    • uploads as https file uploads?
  • quotas need to be dynamic
    • on cache full no more accepted
    • who maintains on failure?
  • "I have 25MB for backup, what do you want to store?"

Download Issues

  • signed sharing cert
  • uuid of already shared (fail if not avail)
  • public-log-view
  • uuid needs to include account information

Global Access Mechanism

  • where does the root server go to get the data for a request?
    • same place it went to put it in, it must have the password to the gmail account to be recording the data in the first place
    • the fact that one server is storing those passwords is a possible issue
  • filter out those for whom it doesn't sharing certificates
  • every machine should have their data backup account password
    • central server for "outside" access
    • (plus) every machine have access software for self-account

Teacher's View of Logs

  • that shared with the teacher (just as with any other person)
  • if not public it's private, so the child doesn't automatically give access to the teacher
  • comments to child are text notes in the teacher's journal shared with child
  • marks and the like may or may not be shared
  • default tag-set for each course (to allow children to subscribe to a given rss feed for each course)
  • default "friends" group for each course

Scarce-resource Optimisations

no-backup/backup-until/backup-until-read-by

  • voicemail, IM
    • what about abuse?
  • server-level
    • allow for prioritisation in resource scarcity situations (upload bandwidth or space)
    • backup when possible, but drop first when full
  • default in certain types to quick deletion or until-read
  • take file size into account for strategy

Alternate Storage

  • some simple way to suggest
    • diff-based storage
    • replacing storage
    • versioned storage
  • plus file size hints
  • plus timeout hints

Personal Importance Level

  • prioritise in scarce resource situations
  • automatically give precedence to last version of same resource within my uri space
    • (saved to same file as reference)
  • references increase priority if not explicitly set

Journal Based File Open

  • choose whole journal entry (namespace)
    • then choose file from it
  • browse into entry to choose single file to import into new space
  • browse journal to find old versions
  • filter journal to find items (tag, type, text, etc)