Robert Kahn at Plugfest 9

Robert Kahn CNRI

City College in NY, Masters at Princeton. Helped developed TCP/IP and just won an award. Developed a thing called Handles and will be discussing it here.

Internet Evolution, Governance, and the Digital Object Archeticture....

When he left DARPA he wanted to work on the infrstructure but couldn't get funding. His personal challenge how to deal with the personal use of networks. Content is a different deminision then infrastructure.

Early Internet Key Decisions
internet would be global
open-architecture (interfaces, protocols, and objects)
TCP/IP
Seperate Network Administrators - allowed the iternet to grow
DNS not critical but helpful

Even community that has dominate solution will like to replace it at some point.

Big Picture
many things done well
Context was critical - mainframes, no pc, 1 dominant carrier in US, Gov initially
what is important at the time may be only apparent with hindsight

Key management structures
Internet Configuration Control Board
Internet Activities Board
IETF
IAB
ISOC
DNS
ICANN

1995 Definitions.... layering

Might need updated to allow for more network and application integration. To allow the user to not play such a key role.

World Embraces the Internet
World is asking who is in charge?
Answer: Who is in charge of world economy, weather, health desease?
World Summit in Geneva - Dec 2003
Host of follow-activites:
ITU Workshop - Feb 2004
UN ICT Task Force Global Forum

Infrastructure Development
What's So Hard? scalable over platforms, size, and time... achieving critical mass
Getting Buy In
Pleasing many essential participans
Discplacing prior capability
Structuring matters to deal with concerns about empire building
It's a lot easier to create brand new capabilities then to effect existing means of operation

"Only reason the Internet was able to successed is because nobody cared about it." Even defense department didn't know what to do with it at the time.

Infrastructure Creation is a Subtractive Process
Infrastructure reduces a common shared capability to its basic and essential attributes
These attributes are not always recognized or understood up front
Upon further scrutiny

What is the Problem?
Managing information in the Net
Dealing with very large amounts of information in the Net over time
When information, its location(s) and even the underlying systemsmay change dramatically over time
Respecting and protecting rights, interests, and value

Early discussions of identifing the data stream (content) not the machine or wire.

A Meta-Level Architecture
Allows for arbitrary types of information systems
Allows for dynamic formatting and data typing
Can accommodate interoperability between multi and diff systems

Digital Object Architecture Motivation
reformulate the internet architecture
over ong periods of time
stimulate innovation
?

Tech Comp
Digital Objects
Resolution of Unique Identifiers
Repositories
MetaData Registries

Can map data into applications... digital representation of a personal resource.

The digital object can be recognized by any platform...

interoperability and federated repositories
internet is a means of interoperability... what objects are necessary to share with the outside world. What do you want to share?

Reporitory Notion
Consists of portal into it... uniform way to deposit and access. any hardware/software solution

How does that map at IPv6 Give every object its own IPv6 address. - bad idea
One IP for machine is much better. Incase you move the repository.

Handle System
Identifier system
locate repositories
Attributes
flat,scalable, and extensible
logically central, but physically decentralized
supports Local Handle Services
Handle Records

Resolution Mechanism
Multiple Sites, Multiple Servers

Managing Rights and Interests
terms and conditions indicate clearly what one can and cannot do with DO
not an enforcement means
Mobile programs that are digital objects

Handle Format

Managing objects in the network is a key issue. interoperability and evolution is critical. Will need a diversity of applications. User friendly interfaces. Readiness Office and ADL have a central role to play.


Q & A