Collaborative Research: NeTS-ANET: A Network Architecture for Federated Virtual/Physical Worlds

这项研究的问题是，如何设计一个网络体系结构，以支持作为主导应用平台的三维虚拟世界。该架构基于三个关键的设计原则。首先，该体系结构不是集中式或点对点的，而是基于联邦的：多方之间的协作交互，但不一定是协作交互。这使提供商能够实施本地管理和安全策略，但需要为域之间和域内的发现、消息传递和迁移提供新的支持。其次，应用程序交流植根于三维坐标空间：对象只有在通过接近引入后才能进行交流。这种几何寻址将应用程序与它们在主机上的物理位置分离，并引入了有趣的安全保护，以防止不必要的通信。与互联网采用分层通信模型一样，本研究设计了一种新的虚拟世界分层方法：从为沉浸式虚拟世界提供丰富编程环境的高层对象层，到基于几何通信的窄腰，再到实现计算、存储和通信机制的底层服务层。调查人员的背景涉及网络、系统和图形，他们之前一直在开发一个高度可扩展和个性化的虚拟世界系统Meru。这个新项目将开发必要的网络体系结构，以实现许多不同的基于MERU的虚拟世界之间的无缝交互和互操作。整合虚拟世界已经成为提供商迫切需要解决的问题和担忧。研究统一的联网系统架构将改进这些努力，并可为下一代互联网编程平台奠定基础。它将整合目前逻辑的、以主机为中心的网络和未来新兴的传感器网络之间的鸿沟。通过整合建立一个开放的、可扩展的虚拟世界系统的现有努力，这项研究将在虚拟世界已经带来变化的所有领域产生影响。从根本上说，虚拟世界甚至比互联网更是一个人与人之间交流的平台，影响着教育、公共服务和规划、商业和社交网络。

This research asks how one might design a network architecture to support three-dimensional virtual worlds as a dominant application platform. The architecture is based on three key design principles. First, rather than being centralized or peer-to-peer, the architecture is based on federation: cooperative but not necessarily collaborative interaction between multiple parties. This enables providers to enforce local administrative and security policies, yet requiring new support for discovery, messaging, and migration between and within domains. Second, application communication is grounded in three-dimensional coordinate spaces: objects can only communicate after being introduced through proximity. This geometric addressing decouples applications from their physical locations on hosts, and introduces interesting security protections from unwanted communication. Third, by using this communication model, the architecture can directly interface with and connect the physical world, leading to new possibilities for virtual interactions.Much as the Internet was designed with a layered communication model, this research designs a new layered approach for virtual worlds: from a high-level object layer providing a rich programming environment for immersive virtual worlds, to the narrow waist of geometry-based communication, and down to the underlying service layer that implements computation, storage, and communication mechanisms. With backgrounds across networking, systems, and graphics, the investigators have been previously developing a highly expansible and personalizable virtual world system, Meru. This new project will develop the network architecture necessary to enable the seamless interaction and interoperation between many different Meru-based virtual worlds.Integrating virtual worlds is already a pressing issue and concern among providers. Research towards a unifying networked system architecture would improve these efforts and could lay the groundwork for a next-generation programming platform for the Internet. It would integrate the current divide between the logical, host-centric networks and the emerging sensor networks of tomorrow. By incorporating existing efforts towards building an open, scalable virtual world system, the research will have impact in all of the areas virtual worlds are already bringing change. Fundamentally, virtual worlds, even more so than the Internet, are a platform for inter-personal communication, affecting education, public services and planning, commerce, and social networks.