[Vrs-development] The Virtual Remote Server Functionality

[Bill Lance]

The Virtual Remote Server Functionality

Before proceeding into the details, a clearer idea of
the functionality of the end result would be useful.  
Three target levels of functionality are defined
below.  Each depends on achiving certain design
objectives.   

Level I - Static File Server
This level of functionality provides basic, static
file services.   It is based on components built into
the LDS, and on a simple data files stored in the
Repository.  The basic LDS component here is the
Apache server.  It can provide static html page
services and ftp file download services.   Other
service modules, such as smtp and pop may be
incorporated in deemed appropriate.

Level II - Virtual Machine based Component Server
The next level adds programmable functionality with a
Virtual Machine  (VM) component in the LDS.  The VM
executes an intermediate byte code file. Together with
external tools that can produce such code and package
it with data into Executable Object Datasets,
customized component webservices can be exposed to the
net and fulfilled by the VRS.  The Pnet project is the
idea candidate for providing these services.

Level III - Encapsulated total Server System
The last level is the most ambitious of the targets. 
It depends on the Repository being able to store and
retrieve a total hiearchial file system that can
include not just data files, but native executables as
well.  It also depends on being able to run those
executables in a sufficently stronge sandbox to meet
the security and privacy requirements of the system

=======================================================


The last level is the new one.  The more I think about
the file system, the more possible it seems.  How
practical it'd be .. especially in terms of response
time, is going to be interesting to see.

User-mode Linux may also point the way to running the
entire server environment in a secure shell,

http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/





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