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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / SEPTEMBER 22, 2003: VOL. 2 NO. 38
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Special Features:
PlanetLab SCREENS NEXT GENERATION
OF WWW APPS
Researchers have created a clone of the Internet and called it PlanetLab:
it
is designed to function as a virtual test bed for the next generation of
Web-based applications.
This global virtual laboratory imitates our usage of the World Wide Web to
develop new business tools, computer programs and weapons against worms and
viruses.
The project sponsored by Intel Corp and Hewlett-Packard Co, as well as many
universities, is currently running on more than 160 machines at 65 sites
worldwide.
"PlanetLab is a wonderful resource. Because it is in the real world, we can
try things properly on a global scale," John Crowcroft of the University of
Cambridge told CNN.
"We can try things that are very prototypical and go continually wrong
without
the worry of disturbing real users until we are ready," he adds.
The project, which sits on top of the Internet, hopes to make surfing
smarter,
faster and the World Wide Web more robust and spam-free.
Anyone who wants to use PlanetLab for developing code simply has to donate
a
computer -- known as a node -- to the network, thus increasing its
capability.
A Source Of New Applications
Some of the projects in the pipeline could be killer applications in the
future commercial arena.
NetBait, which is an Intel-led project on PlanetLab models the spread of
computer worms and viruses and tests out mechanisms of defense.
CoDeeN, developed at Princeton University is a piece of software that
protects
web servers from overload, which can cripple a Web site's performance.
When a sudden spike in traffic or "flash crowd" is detected it is
automatically intercepted and rerouted to "surrogate servers."
At present, a total 70 projects are up and running around the globe.
Businesses and scientists are also using PlanetLab for computer programs
that
operate on many machines at once, as well as computer code that distributes
content and data files around the globe for easy access wherever you might
be.
Some of the technologies may be used to build super fast peer-to-peer
networks
and gaming products where players demand minimal, or at least equal, delay
compared to their online opponents.
"If you are in the business world there are few strategies for you to
simulate
a rollout of your Internet-based product," says Ian Pratt of the University
of Cambridge told CNN.
"Most companies roll out the technology and then fix problems later," adds
Pratt.
Not any more -- PlanetLab now tries to mirror our current Internet and is
one
of the world's biggest test beds in terms of scale and capability.
"One of the problems at present is that it is not diverse or representative
enough. We need more nodes in interesting places across the globe, as well as
in large corporations," says Pratt.
Before this project, institutions and companies used simulation software or
other machines on the same network to develop new products, although these
methods were limited.
"The interesting thing about PlanetLab from a commercial perspective is the
relative ease by which new applications can be deployed," Paul Smith from
Lancaster University told CNN.
Smith envisages a time when an application perfected in the simulated
PlanetLab environment could be executed rapidly in the market place giving a
company the competitive edge.
"It can significantly reduce development and deployment times, as well as
their associated costs, enabling applications to reach their market quicker
and more cheaply," says Smith.
At the moment, PlanetLab is not a massive network when compared to the
Internet itself. But those who have donated nodes expect it to grow and evolve
over time.
And the bigger it becomes, more people will want to use it, and more nodes
will be donated -- and then the cycle continues.
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