Let's connect the Tcl computers of the world! '''What is the Ants project?''' It is effectively an open, grass-root effort to build a grid computing network around services built in Tcl. What: Ants Where: http://www.fishpool.com/~setok/ants/ Description: Ants is a generic system for running any kind of distributed code, intended to replace application-specific systems like the one used by SETI@home. The idea is to be able to write scripts with areas defined to be run on the Ants network. These script fragments can then communicate with the original script by passing messages. The server admin can specify which libraries scripts are allowed to load. In addition to that, by configuring the system and attaching more scripts to it, it can be a valuable system administration framework for both small and large networks. Currently at version 1.0 . Updated: 02/2003 Contact: See web site Ants has a server component (acting as an application) and a client library that can be used to enable use of the distribution process. ---- [Lars H]: Interesting! I have a scientific problem (basically solving a huge equation system by breadth-first search) that could have use for this, although it might be using a bit more memory (a couple of 10MB) than servers find comfortable. ---- [Setok]: At the moment there is no limitation on how much memory scripts can use as I don't think you can control this in pure Tcl? I didn't want to make the first version contain any platform dependencies. I personally don't have any problem allowing 10MB of any server I connect to that to be used for something cool. What really remains is marketing: convincing people to connect their machines to that as resources for others to use. Note that the scripts are run in safe Tcl environments so there shouldn't be any security risks. So start connecting ;-) ---- [AK]: Another topic, which came up on the IIRC is 'security' in general. The server authenticating that a client is a true client, the client that it speaks to a true server, both checking the integrity of the code snippets send around so that no interloper can modify them (or the results) while they are in flight between the client and server, and possibly encryption for privacy. ---- [escargo]: I don't know if this is taking the ''Ants'' analogy too far, but perhaps there needs to be ''tunnels'' between clients and servers (of the ''ant farm''). This is related to the security issue. There are at least three issues, authentication, authorization, and integrity (are you who you say you, do you have permission, and is what you say you sent really what I received), that need to considered. One solution might be to have a virtual private network (VPN) established between the clients and the servers. Once the VPN is set up, then data and programs should be able to flow securely. This VPN might be built on top of Tcl, or it might use something like ssh tunnels. ---- [Setok]: Agreed, the security with the current version is not perfect at all and would need encryption on the channels between the server and client. Any ideas and help on this is appreciated. For the next version I'm thinking about a way for the client to search for servers from the whole network (or limited to an area) which provide access to certain libs. Ie. that way the client could search for servers providing a "prime number" package, or whatever and thus get more optimal results. ''How about [TLS], i.e. the Tcl extension which supports SSL, the Secure Socket Layer? -[jcw]'' [Setok]: That's pretty much exactly what I had in mind ;-) ''You might want to try Zebedee (http://www.winton.org.uk/zebedee/), which is the tunneling tool used in the Tcl-based [Privaria] system. - [MDD]'' ---- [Category Application] | [Category Package] | [Category Internet] |