ROVER: Support for collaboration in mobile computing environments

Abstract

ROVER is a prototype suite of software applications intended to support interaction and collaboration between mobile agents and coordinate-driven information servers. In traditional WWW servers, resources are provided to users based on a namespace that is purely topological, that is, locality plays no role. In ROVER, the namespace can be dependent upon geometry too, so servers can tailor presentation of material based on the locality. ROVER is a first step towards experimentation with protocols and coordination in such a dynamic environment. It is intended to allow us to explore and demonstrate the desirability of coordinate-driven servers, and to serve as a basis for studying the tools needed to prepare servers to be responsive in such an environment. (Also cross-referenced as UMIACS-TR-2000-63)