[SWMP] Re: faster field messages

Jay:

I think I understand the mechanism and I understand that either side of 
the pairwise communication can establish the mapping of an ID to a 
<node,field>.

Perhaps it is a small thing, but in a situation in which one network 
element (say a server) manages the data, it would be helpful if it could 
use the same ID for all the other network elements seeking to use the 
data.  If the other network elements may establish the mapping, then it 
must keep independent mappings for each network element being served.  If, 
on the other hand, we can contrive the protocol, so that the network 
element managing the data establishes the ID mapping, then it could use 
the same mapping for all network elements seeking service.

jfp

"Jay C. Weber" <jweber@mediamachines.com> wrote on 08/24/2007 12:18:23 PM:

> john_patterson@us.ibm.com wrote:
> F)  The use of the fieldId on the SET message as a way to allow 
> faster field references seemed to require modification.  For one 
> thing, it did not seem right that the name/id association was being 
> defined by the requesting network element rather than the network 
> element controlling the state.
> It's really about this:  element A needs to specify a <node,field> 
> in a message to element B.  If A sends B a number of such messages, 
> it's worth setting up a shorthand for that pair.  Thus my SWMP 
> design was to add a message parameter to SET, a non-negative integer
> fieldId, that when non-zero means "if I use this fieldId in the 
> future it means this <node,field> pair".  And I created a SETF 
> message that uses the fieldId.  Thus one SET message would be 
> followed by many SETF messages, the advantage being that SETF 
> messages are much shorter.
> 
> It doesn't matter what the architectural roles are of A and B, it's 
> just a bilateral mechanism to create a shorthand, and it makes sense
> to me that the element that coins the <node,field> pair is the one 
> to coin the shorthand for it.
> 
> jay
> -- 
> Jay C. Weber, Ph.D. 
> CTO, Media Machines Inc. 
> 650-279-2311 