Collaborative Research: Affinity Directed Mobility for Location Independent Data Access

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Information is currently accessed and manipulated using a variety of fragmented tools. The researchers use a desktop computer as our primary information tool, a server, network of servers, or an ISP to provide file system support, computationally intensive computing, and other system support functions. They use a notebook computer, which may or may not have network access, when they desire a portable information tool. When information needs are modest, and mobility needs most apparent, the researchers use a variety of other devices such as handheld computers, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, and pagers. Software version management in this situation is inefficient, and licensing is complex. Ensuring that the same (and latest) version of each desired application program is installed on a large number of computers can consume a significant amount of system support staff resources, even if these computers are accessible from the same network. The protection of information from unauthorized access is similarly difficult. The result of this fragmentation of data, applications, and devices is an increasingly complex and unmanageable collection of information tools that communicate with each other ineffectively. The convergence in time of substantial need, substantial communication infrastructure, and high performance, low power computing resources challenges the researchers to explore a better alternative. The Bifrost location independent computing project seeks to provide a flexible and comprehensive information access environment. The function of Bifrost is to provide location and device independent access to data. Data in Bifrost encompasses both information and the applications used to manipulate that information. Bifrost uses affinity between data, and between users and data, to make appropriate decisions about when and where to move data. We refer to this approach as affinity directed mobility. The core research issues of the project are mobility management (how we move data and threads to support user and device mobility), data management (how we represent, access, update, and protect information), and application management (how we provide a common applications base across a variety of devices). In contrast to previous approaches to mobile data management, Bifrost anticipates that in 3-5 years network connectivity will be the norm, even for highly mobile computing devices. In this situation, the problem of how users can access remote personal data, regardless of location or computing device, becomes at least as important as planning for a possible disconnection. The researchers propose to design, implement, deploy and evaluate a two-campus prototype of the Bifrost location independent computing system. The Bifrost design represents a new paradigm for information access and manipulation. We propose to integrate the way in which information is managed with the way in which the applications that access this information are managed. One of the design principles of Bifrost is that the ability to access data should be consistent across all platforms, including portable computing devices. This approach is in stark contrast to the stripped down operating system plus stripped down applications plus limited data set computing model currently associated with most hand-held computing devices. In addition to the educational benefits to the students directly involved in the project, the researchers intend that this project contribute in broader ways to the academic community. They will incorporate this research into the operating systems and distributed systems classes taught at the University of Colorado and Cornell University. All software and other research products of this project will be made readily available via the world wide web.