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Information on Demand (IoD)

As the pervasive computing infrastructure emerges, we consider the impact
on information applications and their middleware requirements – what we call
"The Pervasive Information Fabric".
In particular, we consider the evolution of hypermedia link services to support
the structuring of ad hoc information spaces. We describe a prototype
implementation of an ad hoc distributed link service using a tuple-space model.

Thompson, M., Roure, D. D. and Michaelides, D. (2000) Weaving the Pervasive Information Fabric

Table of Contents

Begin Defining IoD

Five Phase View of ILM for IoD

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Advanced Topics

If Wishes were Horses

Begin Defining IoD

  • Delivering the “Information Experience” is what it is all about

  • The Information Experience needs “Information on Demand (IoD)”
    • Information on Demand (IoD) is a concept to achieve a Strategic goal
      • IoD requires Weaving the Pervasive Information Fabric using agents and multi-agents
      • The Pervasive Information Fabric will be an IT architecture of Information Fabrics built with=>
        • InfiniBand (dated-change), Hypertransport, PCIe, etc? on the inside
        • Broadband on the outside
        • Storage domains
        • Backup domains
        • the Backup Area Network (BAN)
        • This architecture is similar to EMC’s AutoIS strategy except that=>
          • IoD is a Strategy whose focus is Units of Information
          • IoD uses the E2EIoD process
            • The E2EIoD process=>
              • is one layer above AutoIS which is Units of Technology focused
              • is LOB centric
              • uses a defined feature/function set in the Intelligent Information Assistant for=>
                • Event Management
                • Information High Availability (IHA)
                • Persistence
      • A Storage domain may be associated with one or more Backup domains
      • A Backup domain may be associated with one or more Storage domains
      • Storage domains consist of NAS front ends and FC/IP SAN hybrid back ends
      • The Storage and Backup domains are engineered to satisfy the requirements of the Information Fabric

      • To achieve the IoD goals of UX and Findability (SFO for IoD)
      • the Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) phases of=>
        • Strategy
        • Design
        • Implement
      • must coordinate
        • The ILM phases of=>
          • Assess
          • Manage
        • are monitoring activities of the Pervasive Information Fabric

  • The Information Experience can also be referred to as the "User Experience (UX)" as defined by Peter Morville
    • The key feature of the UX is called Findability by Peter Morville
      • I call it SFO (Search, Find, Obtain) which is the key function for IHA (Information High Availability)
        • The SFO function is only defined in the IT Information space
      • Peter's Findability is possibly cosmic but certainly much more broadly defined than SFO
        • SFO would be a tool for Findability in specific, defined Information spaces. Findability and UX (User Experience) are symbiotic.

    • Two key lower metrics make the "User Experience (UX)" happen. One is defined as the "Speed Limit of the Information Universe" and the second is the previously mentioned Intelligent Information Assistant

  • The E2EIoD process makes integration of the Front End/Office/”Client Facing”/ROI processes to Back End/Office/”Storage Facing”/TCO processes happen
    • Each Information Fabric is unique and tailored to fit the Company Portfolio Management, the Line of Business (LOB) it supports and the IT Portfolio Management
      • These Information Fabrics are managed by Storage Area Management (SAM) software using the End-to-end Information on Demand (E2EIoD) process
        • EMC’s AutoIS/WideSky, Hitachi Data Systems HiCommand and IBM’s Storage Tank could be point products in the E2EIoD Information Fabric

Information on Demand (IoD) consists of the defined process End-to-End Information on Demand (E2EIoD). The E2EIoD process handles IoD from the Front End, Front Office, Client facing, ROI generating IT infrastructure to the Back End, Back Office, Storage facing, TCO generating IT infrastructure. There are defined IT Portfolio Management processes to Implement E2EIoD.

  1. The defined processes for the Front End, Front Office, Client facing, ROI generating IT infrastructure area are:
    1. Content Management System (CMS)
    2. Content Delivery System (CDS)
    3. Supply Chain Management (SCM)
    4. Search-Find-Obtain (SFO)

  2. The Back End, Back Office, Storage facing, TCO generating IT infrastructure defined processes are:
    1. Information High Availability (IHA)
    2. Information Integrity (II)
    3. Disaster Recovery (DR)
    4. Business Continuity (BC)

  3. All of these E2EIoD processes and functions are composed of Lower Metric definitions, functions and processes.

  • I did a lot of research to find point products able to implement the E2EIoD with off-the-shelf products.
    • The key is good partnerships with off-the-shelf point product vendors, particularly in Manageware.

Working with clients to determine what they want and need is the prime focus. Devising a politically, economically and technically correct solution for the client is the goal. Delivering solutions that require no more than 20% glueware and use Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) products, for the rest of the client solution, is mandatory. Common Manageware solutions for Information migration, Information High Availability, Data Integrity, Disaster Recovery, Business Continuance, System Analysis, Configuration Management, and Change Control, Data Acquisition and Communications, Software Development and Programming, Application re-hosting, High Performance Computing, OS migrations and Systems Administration in multi-platform environments are needed.

Begin Advanced Topics

As the pervasive computing infrastructure emerges, we consider the impact on information applications, their middleware requirements and the Units of Technology these Units of Information are stored on – what we call the Pervasive Information Fabric. In particular, we consider the evolution of hypermedia link services to support the structuring of ad hoc information spaces. Ad hoc Information spaces make a new set of demands on the structure and organization of Units of Technology for timely delivery of Units of Information. IoD and E2EIoD describe a prototype implementation of an ad hoc Information space IT infrastructure.

Information on Demand (IoD) is different from Information in the same way a vector is different from a scalar in mathematics.

  1. A scalar is defined by some as:
    1. In mathematics, scalar (noun) and scalar (adjective) refer to a quantity consisting of a single real number used to measure magnitude (size).
    2. A quantity or phenomenon that exhibits magnitude only, with no specific direction, is called a scalar.
      1. Examples of scalars include speed, mass, electrical resistance, and hard-drive storage capacity.
  2. In Perl programming, a scalar is a variable used to represent a block of information.
    1. A scalar can refer to an integer, a float, a string, an object, binary information, or just about anything else.
    2. It's a versatile variable that has no length limit and is easily recognizable when looking at Perl code because it is preceded by the symbol "$".
  3. A vector is defined, by the same source, as:
    1. A vector is a quantity or phenomenon that has two independent properties: magnitude and direction.
    2. The term also denotes the mathematical or geometrical representation of such a quantity.
      1. Examples of vectors in nature are velocity, momentum, force, electromagnetic fields, and weight. (Weight is the force produced by the acceleration of gravity acting on a mass.)

Information on Demand (IoD) is a vector with both magnitude and direction properties. Information is a scalar with only magnitude.

The IoD vector feature IHA (Information High Availability) provides IoD with the scalar function High Availability (HA) Information. Data HA is another scalar function provided by IHA. The vector feature IHA has many more functions than the scalar HA.

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If Wishes were Horses

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