[AG-TECH] Venue Server protocol/API?

[Jim Miller]

inSORS plans to remain a very active participant within the AG community.
To that end, we plan to assist in the future development/deployment of the
AG architecture and version 2.0 where possible.  Additionally, we are firm
in our commitment to maintain compatibility/connectivity to all Argonne
venues and AG nodes that comply with Argonne's requirements.

As far as venues work currently, most of our corporate customers want a
private, inside their firewall venue to conduct internal communication as
well as a link to our venue to communicate with suppliers and customers as
well as the research community.

Finally, our focus for our commercial software is to develop, deploy and
support a software product that maintains the features and functions of the
AccessGrid software with some enhancements for the corporate world that
makes it easier to use, operator free, and easier for us to support.

Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov [mailto:owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov]On
Behalf Of Randy Groves
Sent: Friday, October 04, 2002 12:36 PM
To: ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov
Subject: [AG-TECH] Venue Server protocol/API?


I definitely enjoyed the first two sessions of AG2.0 this week.  I was
unable to attend the third, but have reviewed the sessions.  I like the
general direction that things are taking - but I have at least one big
concern: venue server compatibility.

Right now, I see three camps in the AG community, in relation to venue
services: Argonne, InSors, and Microsoft.  There may be more, but I'm
unaware of them.  All seem to be taking separate, incompatible routes to
venue service, and this definitely concerns me.  Wearing my implementer
hat, and looking at a world-wide entity with diverse operating groups and a
desire to collaborate with many equally diverse external partners, I want
to be know that when we install a solution, that we will be able to
communicate with others that may have installed a different solution.  The
relative homogeneity of the AG community, and the fact that we're pretty
much depending upon one venue server at Argonne for the services makes the
present situation possible.

I definitely understand that this is NOT a simple problem.  Just the
question of authentication and authorization alone is one that gives anyone
who has worked with this pause.  But I think that the venue services, as a
defined point of interface between groups of 'AG-like' communities, is the
perfect place to take the time to make sure that we can handle
heterogeneity and still be able to collaborate.

I certainly don't have the answers.  But please see this as a plea to
consider the global situation when crafting the potential solutions.

-randy