the WhoDP

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Ding! - WhoDP


 
 
The "WhoDP" (Who Datagram Protocol) protocol that Ding! uses as its naming structure is innovative in both feature and architecture. Activerse based the protocol on the World Wide Web's URL in both theory and function. The concept is that the WhoDP is more than simply a user identification system. Recently, Microsoft announced it's intention to seek an open standard for the people browser, or buddy list market. It released details related to its proposed RVP (Rendezvous Protocol) standard, which would allow greater interoperability between software products from a variety of vendors. The proposed RVP standard is very similar to the WhoDP. This is the result of collaboration between Activerse and Microsoft in preparation for the RVP proposal. WhoDP and RVP both counter many of the problems seen by the traditional client server relationship that powers many of todays network and Internet communications systems. Key weaknesses addressed by the protocols include:
  • A reliance on traditional client-server model, resulting in server delays and bottlenecks.
  • The centralized server model also presents the danger of total network failure if the server crashes or goes offline.
  • A use of proprietary protocols and networks limits current systems to only serving presence information to users of that system. To borrow a phrase from Microsoft's original RVP press release, the situation is like "having a telephone that only makes calls to customers of your local phone company".
  • Most systems are using naming methods that are either arbitrary or proprietary. Users on one system will again be unable to locate and/or communicate with users on another system.

Activerse was wary of these problems when it first began to develop Ding!. The result was a product based on distributed client-to-client communication, driven by Java, and using a naming system that was both logical and flexible. The innovative WhoDP architecture used by Ding! and Ding! Switchboards solves many of the problems faced in the traditional approaches to buddy list software. Similarly, RVP was proposed to deal with many of the same key issues.

Both the WhoDP and RVP architecture:

  • Draw inspiration from the HTTP protocol, particularly in its ability to unite a variety of networks and data types.
  • Build user names/identities in a canonical fashion, much like World Wide Web URLs.
  • Use those name structures to build an external static directory of available users
  • Allows users to "watch the watchers" for maximum security.
  • Use both UDP and TCP for transport
  • Predict use of protocols by non-user entities (such as "bots") and collective entities (spaces / interest groups)

Apart from RVP, Activerse's WhoDP technology also addresses the problem of overwhelming server traffic. This ensures Ding! is completely efficient in its use of vital network resources, making it infinitely scalable. More specifically, WhoDP:

  • Allows clients to do most of the publishing of necessary presence information, thus reducing server traffic
  • Emphasizes peer-to-peer connections. As a result:
    • Communication avoids server lags and bottlenecks
    • There is a lesser chance of corruption/compromise of information in transit
    • There are fewer points of failure: even server crashes do not interfere with many services


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Last Modified: 13-Jan-98.

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