[Opensim-dev] The essence of "grid"

[Justin Clark-Casey]

Diva Canto wrote:
> OK, I think I'm coming close to having the sharp definitions that I 
> think are necessary. They're slight variations of Melanie's, because 
> Melanie's are still coercing OSGrid-like grids to become something that 
> they aren't.
> 
> - "Simulator trust domain": a set of simulators that trust each other, 
> operated by one single authority
> 
> - "Grid": a set of simulators that share resources. Resources include: 
> assets, user accounts, and assorted services like lookup services, 
> forums, etc. [And this is the thing] A Grid includes one *or more* 
> simulator trust domains.
> 
> - "Hypergrid": the interconnection of grids.


Sounds good to me (might be just easier to now go with this and amend later if necessary).

As a small point, the "Grid" definition would appear to mean that our current 'Standalone' mode is confusingly also a 
"Grid".  Is there a suitable alternative term to "Grid" for this definition?  I've run into this problem myself when 
writing about OpenSim.  I keep having to using unclear formulations such as OpenSim installations.

I guess alternatively, a "Grid" could be a set of a simulators where cardinality > 1, though that might complicate the 
"Hypergrid" definition.

Also as a small suggestion, it might be helpful to write this in a glossary on the wiki somewhere so we can point back 
to it.  I think ages ago someone started a general one but I wouldn't be surprised if it has been buried by now.

> 
> In most cases (I would expect) a grid contains exactly 1 trust domain. 
> But in some cases, it may contain more. If you think about it, the 
> Linden Lab grid is a "grid" according to the above definition, and so is 
> OSGrid. The mechanisms by which grid operators establish sim trust 
> domains are entirely up to the grid operators. They may apply formal 
> TOSs or they may put the grid login password on the web. They may issue 
> formal trust certificates (one or more sets) or they may not do such a 
> thing.
> 
> 
> For the purposes of security, it's clear that the client can't talk 
> directly to a central grid-wide server, but it has to do it with the 
> specific simulators, which then can redirect to their authorities.
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Justin Clark-Casey
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