Virtual World Model
From OpenSimulator
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| − | * A "Standalone", which should be read as "Standalone Grid", is a grid-in-a-box. It's one process that single-handily performs simulation and resource management. | + | * A "Standalone", which should be read as "Standalone Grid", is a grid-in-a-box. It's one process that single-handily performs simulation and resource management. Just like any other grid, a Standalone grid may be hypergrided or may operate as a walled garden. |
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Revision as of 15:17, 19 April 2009
What follows are working definitions for the model of virtual worlds supported by OpenSim. They are intended to clarify terminology, and to sharpen the requirements with respect to security of users' data and world assets.
Simulator Trust Domain: one or more simulators that completely trust each other, operated by one single authority. Trust means that these simulators can safely exchange messages and share data with each other.
Resource Services: A set of zero or more services serving resources for simulators. Resources include: assets, user accounts, and assorted services like lookup services, social networking, forums, etc.
Grid: One or more simulators that share resources via resource services. At the very minimum, the simulators in a grid share assets, but many more services are possible (see above). A Grid includes one or more simulator trust domains. Normally one would expect one grid to be one single trust domain, but that doesn't necessarily need to happen. For example, OSGrid has, by nature and intent, several hundred simulator trust domains. The Linden Lab Grid, although one single trust domain at the moment, might support several trust domains in the future, where different groups of simulators are controlled by different authorities at the level of the simulator code, but still share the central resources. Given that a Grid may include more than one simulator trust domain, there can be untrusted connections within the same grid. In deploying security schemes, this needs to be taken into account.
Hypergrid: The interconnection of grids. Hypergrid simulator connections are necessarily untrusted, so security schemes need to take that into account. Besides safe simulator connectivity between grids, the Hypergrid addresses the interoperability of resource services -- that is, the ability for: user accounts in one grid being recognized in other grids; assets in one grid being transferred to other grids; social networking services being bridged between grids, etc. The Hypergrid architecture enables the emergence of independent Hypergrid-wide resource services such as Social Networking, Search, etc. that serve several grids and may not be coupled with any one grid in particular.
Walled-Garden Grid: A grid that only handles resources directly managed by its own resource services. It does not recognize or allow users and assets from other grids, and it does not allow the export of its own users and assets.
Additional notes:
- A "Standalone", which should be read as "Standalone Grid", is a grid-in-a-box. It's one process that single-handily performs simulation and resource management. Just like any other grid, a Standalone grid may be hypergrided or may operate as a walled garden.
