[Cu-wireless] Information System

[Wendy Edwards]

> The idea of having a centralized server to log the data is
> actually optional (as I was conceiving the system, more below).

Definitely.  If this server crashes, it should not affect the
rest of the network.

> > Nodes would periodically send information about traffic and
> > connectivity upstream to the aggregate server, which could then
> > be queried by clients.
>
> I think that the wireless stations will not actively send out
> this data, rather they will run a lightweight daemon that would
> provide data only on request.  It will be up to the visualization
> agent to request the data.

That would work too.  As long as the central server was aware of all the
nodes, it could periodically query them.  In fact, this approach is
probably better than what I'd been thinking of because it would allow more
flexibility - it's possible to ask for different kinds of information
without changing the software on the nodes.

> An end user could then run the visualization agent on their own
> computer, requesting data only from their local router, which
> allow them to visualize the network from a 'local perspective'.
>
> The aggregation server described above would be an optional third
> component.

Yes, I like this.  The aggregation server would basically be a convenient
alternative to querying every node individually, and it might store data
a little longer.  So it would not be an essential part of the CWN, but
it could help with troubleshooting and planning.  The GIS/mapping
functionality could be part of the client.

Wendy