[Opensim-dev] Global identifiers

[Karen Palen]

The problem arises when the original URL no longer exists and one must
attempt to find the new authority somehow.

Unless of course we are willing to accept that the URL/UUID merely reflects
a "point in time".

Even then we get a problem if http://XYZ.com goes away and some time (years)
later a NEW http://XYZ.com appears and starts doing business on the
hypergrid. The new owner of the URL may or may not have any affiliation with
the old one.

Karen

On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 6:01 AM, Melanie <melanie at t-data.com> wrote:

> This isn't an issue, the URL includes the authority, so no malicious
> collisions are possible unless the UUID is used in isolation. That
> should not be done. If a resource is to be used in a contect where a
> local identifier is required, a new UUID should be generated and
> attached to the URI, then that should be used. Never trust the UUID
> in the URI for anything but calling the URI itself.
>
> Melanie
>
> Karen Palen wrote:
> > It was buried in another post, but I maintain that the definitive problem
> is
> > not th eone where the "authority" simply disappears (wait to update the
> > cache), but where there are multiple "authorities" claiming the same
> UUID!
> >
> > There are numerous reasons why this could happen, ONE of which is
> > "malfeasance" (fraud)!
> >
> > More likely is the case where the cached "authority" is very much out of
> > date and there have been several changes since the last cache update! In
> > some situations this could happen in only a few minutes!
> >
> > Every other case resolves to (a) it is in the cache (update whenever we
> can)
> > or (b) the (single) authority can tell us what we should use as the
> > "name"/UUID
> >
> > While Diva has pointed out that EVERY "name" is really a UUID (not
> obvious
> > in the "global" case) many of the comments imply that the "name" is some
> > arbitrary text string!
> >
> > I claim that Diva is exactly correct - the UUID *IS* the name BOTH global
> > and local, and the "text string" (of whatever form) is merely the "human
> > compatible liveware" version.  ANYTHING else leads to an enormous number
> of
> > identity collisions!
> >
> > I think that it is all available in the "open" literature now, but in the
> > 1960's/1970's the US Military spent an enormous effort ($$$) to be
> certain
> > that the person with the badge "General Jack D. Ripper" really WAS that
> > person! With Nuclear Weapons the stakes really ARE that high!
> >
> > Our problem is very similar although not with such dramatic consequences.
> >
> > Karen
> >
> > On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 1:17 AM, Ai Austin <ai.ai.austin at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> myticaldemina makes a lot of good points... one thing that could be
> >> problematic though relates to this comment...
> >>
> >>  From: <mysticaldemina at xrgrid.com>
> >>> ...I would suggest any
> >>>
> >>> proxies would give the external system and identifier and not chain
> proxy
> >>> to
> >>> proxy unless there is a reason to do it, and the assets should be
> copied
> >>> from the original source.
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >> I agree with the first half... no chains, just hand over the external
> >> system "authority" and its given identifier pair for the identity
> involved.
> >>
> >> But I don't agree at all with the idea that you then have to get the
> asset
> >> from that original authority.  The permissions could have changed,
> >> corruptions could have occurred or much more likely the authority simply
> >> will no longer be there.  The asset "as is" (with its textures, scripted
> >> content and what not) should be provided to the destination
> location/grid if
> >> the object permissions allow it, with proper transfer of the permissions
> to
> >> next owner exactly as if an avatar to avatar transfer or rez in world
> took
> >> place on the local grid, without trying to reload the asset from an
> original
> >> source.
> >>
> >> .
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> Opensim-dev at lists.berlios.de
> >> https://lists.berlios.de/mailman/listinfo/opensim-dev
> >>
> >
> >
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