Working with the Hypergrid
A recent and exciting development in OpenSim is support for what is called 'hypergridding' or 'hyper-linking'
In effect, what it does, is just to let avatars ('guests') teleport into 'foreign' regions (on other grids) and in the process inform the target region where to look for inventory and assets for that guest - in theory, allowing for free teleports between grids.
Now, how have drm issues been solved, you wonder? The short answer: "we haven't".
As of this moment, you are adviced to think of 'hypergridding' as one big security and drm vulnerability. It is actually the very lax security of the OpenSim OGS protocol (Open Grid Services) that has allowed for the hypergrid to emerge.
It still has some heavy benefits, but more in the 'weak protection needed for loading a webpage' corner than the 'strong protection needed for participating in interchange within an economic system based on artificial scarceness' one.
So, how would you, as a grid owner, concerned for your users, work with this? I suggest something like this;
First of all, set a completely isolated Hypergrid standalone DMZ 'island' up parallell with your 'main grid', like thus:
By specifying gridmode=false in your OpenSim.ini and setting the standalone region to use a private database in the [Standalone] section.
Make sure you specify/create an dmz region 'master avatar' on startup, otherwise you will not have any account with permissions to modify the region once it's up. If you just start the region up from scratch, the startup procedure will ask you to create a master avatar account. Choose a strong password.
What this setup gives you is the opportunity to start trying hypergrid interlinking out, while ensuring none of your main grid data or content leaks out. Again, if you decide to use a shared database server, make sure you specify a new database clearly separated from your main grid database on that server.
I would suggest you create what I call a 'storefront' on this region, non-drm sensitive demo and pr content that ushers prospective users onto to your main grid through the grid registration page. The point here is to keep the hypergrid region air-tightly separated from your main grid whilst still allowing you to expose content that people can make part of their own grids. A '3D banner exchange program', if you will.
Do note that the only way to work with or access this dmz region is to either log on as the specified master avatar (if you specified one) or to hyperjump into it. And the only editing options is either to log on as the master avatar, or to turn perms off.
After familiarizing yourself with the hypergrid, we can start thinking of how to start sharing user data and content with the main grid, whilst retaining basic drm security. This I will cover in my next 'Working with the Hypergrid' blog.
(If all this sounds interesting, but you don't have a clue as of how to do all this, visit the opensimulator.org web site, join the #opensim irc channel on freenode, or send me an e-mail.)
OpenSim turns two
The 3D Application platform Open Simulator, or 'OpenSim' for short, turns two years old January 29th 2009.
The consensus is that this date 2007 OpenSim was 'born' when Darren Guard (aka MW) made his prototypical C# 3D world server publicly available.
You can help celebrate this joyous occasion in a number of ways;
- Read OpenSim History for some recap of the early days, and help continue documenting it.
- If you're in the position to run a region or grid, or already do, this is an excellent opportunity for you to further OpenSim and yourself by
- taking the opportunity to demo and publicize noteworthy services or content.
- set up what we call a 'hypergridded dmz storefront' - in effect, a public standalone region not connected to the main grid services - and be part of the hypergrid link-fest
- blog about this joyous occasion, draw attention to OpenSim, the second birthday, and tell your own OpenSim story.
- set some demo content up, demoing your grid and what's going on there
- establishing a media parcel url going to a live voice feed so that you could hold voice demonstrations, dj sessions and panel discussions on topics relevant to your grid.
- some avatar appearance/merchandise items that you are ready to give to the public domain
- Attend the party, dressed to kill, socialize, go hypergrid club hopping, generally helping out and enjoying what will still be referred to in the history books as 'back in the early days of the 3D web'!
This is a great opportunity to acquaint yourself with OpenSim and what it means to run a region, optionally hypergridded - and we hope to see lots of cool stuff happen and scare a bunch of ugly bugs out of their holes in the process!
Regardless,
If you're planning on doing anything for OpenSims second birthday, be sure to post it on
http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Second_Birthday
If there is no heading suitable for your project, just make one - it's a wiki!
Love,
Stefan Andersson aka 'lbsa71'