Service Discovery in Mira
It’s been a while, so here’s a short update on a great new feature which was recently started by Alan (clsk).
Our initial idea for Mira was that it would function based on a Centric model: a group of Clients would connect to a central Server and perform all communications through this Server (apart from some Peer-to-Peer communications subsequently initiated between the Clients). This model is excellent for office environments, but it’s not very flexible in small networks, like at home: how many people have the option of setting up a standalone server to run Mira Server 24/7?
That’s right: not many! So, Alan has come up with an alternative. He is working on a zero-configuration, instant set-up collaboration system which would use the new Distributed model. All you would have to do to collaborate in a Workplace is to start a Mira Client on a network, create a Distributed Workplace and then invite the other Clients on the network. The best part is that there is absolutely no need to set up a Server because the Clients will be able to communicate directly to each other (without any tinkering!) using service discovery, via Zeroconf. A nice touch, don’t you think?
It’s not quite ready yet, but here’s a preview of the service discovery feature (take a look at the ‘Neighbors’ tab on the right):
For more information, check out the Distributed Network Layer blueprint and Alan’s blog post: Mira connects to peers on LAN. You can also see the code for yourself in our network-protocol branch on Launchpad.
MadaboutDana left a comment on November 6, 2009 at 5:55 am
Looks very interesting, especially for SMBs. What about distributed SMBs (like ourselves, for instance)? Does Zeroconf work across the web, too?
Actually, there are quite a few people watching Mira’s development with interest, so keep it up, people!
Alan Alvarez left a comment on November 21, 2009 at 10:16 pm
What do you mean by SMBs? Are you referring to Microsoft’s SMB protocol? If you are, then I’m afraid I don’t understand your question.
Zeroconf is not meant to be used across the web. But, Avahi lists wide area DNS service discovery as one of its features on its website. So I guess it can be done.
Good to know that people are following our development. With the momentum we’ve gathered in the last month, I think we will have something to show in a couple of months.