Hello all, I would like to open up a discussion on the following proposal: https://wiki.apache.org/incubator/GossipProposal
Besides those mentioned in the proposal, thank you to Jake Ferrel, Lewis McGibbne, and Nate McCall who were a tremendous help! A copy of the proposal is below: = Abstract = Apache Gossip will be an implementation of the Gossip Protocol based on code available here: https://github.com/edwardcapriolo/gossip/ which is already licenced using the glorious Apache V2 License. = Proposal = Apache Gossip aims to provide a gossip based consensus protocol written in Java for peer-to-peer communication to the Apache Incubator (http://incubator.apache.org/). This implementation will effectively scale from one to one-thousand node clusters. In addition to the code implementation, the project should produce specifications of the wire protocol, features, and expected behavior of the system such that compatible implementations can communicate. = Background = The gossip protocol has been implemented to varying levels of rigor by a number of entities. In particular, Apache Cassandra uses an implementation of gossip to locate peers and transmit up/down state. Apache Spark leverages tooling in Akka which provides peer-to-peer node discovery capabilities. * http://highscalability.com/blog/2011/11/14/using-gossip-protocols-for-failure-detection-monitoring-mess.html * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossip_protocol = Rationale = With distributed computing becoming extremely widespread, and the growth of the buzz-factor of ‘the-internet-of-things’ it is increasingly important that networks of IP addressable devices can form a peer-to-peer network. Applications of peer-to-peer networks include generating crypto currency, managing hardware such as solar power micro-grids, and more traditional roles like grid/High Performance Computing and distributed storage systems. Different implements of gossip based consensus protocols have been implemented in numerous languages or as part of more complex software stacks. The Apache foundation should lead the effort of producing a purpose built tool that can be used by downstream projects to form peer-to-peer networks. = Initial Goals = * Migration of current code https://github.com/edwardcapriolo/gossip to the Apache Software Foundation * Secure communications * Transport security using a pre-shared key * Public Key Infrastructure * Introduce a cluster name to wire protocol to avoid misconfigurations * Effectively operate when systems have multiple network interfaces by controlling IP binding settings * Effectively operate when systems have Network Address Translations devices between them using a broadcast IP settings * Develop advanced integration testing from cluster sizes of 1-1000 nodes * Test convergence times * Demonstrate the tradeoffs of different settings in regard to bandwidth/cpu/convergence time/accuracy * Gossip data other than cluster state such as application/user data * Provide detailed specifications such that others can implement the protocol in other programming languages * Explore HTTP transport as an alternative to UDP = Current Status = The current code has been around for some time. Previously it was a google code project. Since the fork in January 2015 there have been 55 commits and 4 releases. == Meritocracy == We believe in meritocracy. All suggestions are taken seriously. We enjoy helping new people become part of process. For other projects available on our github, once a user shows enough activity we grant them collaborator status. == Community == In a relatively short amount of time, with a small amount of promotion on twitter and through blogging, we have 50+ followers on github and several forks of the project.. With the Apache brand we should be able to attract more. Once we have entered the incubator we believe it will be easier to attempt to unify with other similar implementations. == Core Developers == The code was forked on Jan 9th 2015, since then there have been 4 releases and 55 commits. The majority of th work is by Edward Capriolo. Several people are interested in the features of this proposal and have indicated they will volunteer their time. == Alignment == Apache is the perfect organization to take on this Gossip project. Besides benefiting a number of projects directly, the active development and reach will help Gossip be adopted and a leader in the space. = Known Risks = Several existing implementations of similar cluster membership systems (gossip based and otherwise) exist. A key challenge is moving from a relatively niche technical audience to a more general tool for solving a common problem. Differentiating when Apache Gossip may be the optimal solution versus a clouded landscape of coordination services such as etcd or zookeeper, and distributed data stores via feature set will also be key. We believe that users be attracted to the peer-to-peer distributed service toolkit that gossip will provide. == Orphaned products == We plan on building on the current code by developing discrete features with a focus on testing. Up until this point the project has been maintained be a single person. However the project currently releases artifacts to maven central, is tested using travis CI, and follows controlled development practice. This level of dedication will see the process through the initial stages. == Inexperience with Open Source == We are very familiar with Open Source development and the Apache Foundation. The current code base already carries an Apache V2 Licence. == Homogenous Developers == Multiple people have made contributions to the current code base. This proposal has generated more interest and several more are offering to volunteer time. These volunteers are from diverse corporate entities. == Reliance on Salaried Developers == We wish to create Apache Gossip for the challenge of producing great software. Initially all members of the project will volunteer their time and no one will be expressly salaried to work only on this project. == Relationships with Other Apache Products == If the Apache Gossip project is successful, other products in Apache such as Storm or Cassandra could adopt it. However, adoption by those specific projects is not our criteria for success. There are a large number of applications for this system. One example is Apache JMeter could be built with Apache Gossip as a backend for distributed testing. Another example is a polyglot registry of thrift services with gossip based discovery. == A Excessive Fascination with the Apache Brand == We care about the Apache foundation. Having the recognition of the Apache incubator will undoubtedly help the project. We do not seek the Apache brand to be used as legal shield or personal glory. We believe in the Apache foundation and will manage the project with espirit de corps, welcoming all through meritocracy while using bylaws as guiding values. = Initial Source = The initial source for https://github.com/edwardcapriolo/gossip was forked from https://code.google.com/p/java-gossip/. The code base always Apache V2 licensed. = Source and Intellectual Property Submission Plan = 1. Make final commit on teknek-gossip explaining the move to ASF. 1. Move code into ASF repo. 1. Rename references to old name. 1. Apply Apache V2 licence to all source files. = External Dependencies = Currently the project encodes messages into JSON for network transmission. This is done using JSONorg, but will switch to jackson (potentially before the move to the ASF). = Cryptography = The current code is not using cryptography. It is on the road map to add security through transport encryption (SSL) and transport encryption. = Required Resources = == Mailing lists == * d...@gossip.incubator.apache.org * comm...@gossip.incubator.apache.org * priv...@gossip.incubator.apache.org The user list will be added when we have broader adoption. == Git Repository ==https://git-wip-us.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator-gossip.git == Issue Tracking == JIRA tracker: GOSSIP = Initial Committers = * Edward Capriolo (Hive Committer, PMC) * P. Taylor Goetz (Storm PMC) * Gary Dusbabek (Cassandra Committer, PMC) * Dorian Ellerbe (requires CLA) * Sathish Dhinakaran (requires CLA) = Affiliations = With diverse contributors the project will be able to make balanced decisions best for the future of the project. = Additional Interested Contributors = Those interested in getting involved with the project as it starts are encourage to list themselves here. * (next entry here) = Sponsors = == Champion == P. Taylor Goetz has offered to champion. == Mentors == * Sean Busbey (ASF Member, IPMC, various Apache PMCs, YCSB maintainer) * Josh Elser (ASF Member, IPMC, Apache Accumulo PMC, Apache Calcite PMC) = Sponsoring Entity = The Incubator
