Cluster Resources

A Cluster resource is provided by one or more nodes in a cluster. The resource may be available on more than one node, either serially or concurrently. Resources may be used concurrently by multiple netlets.

Resources are classed according to the interfaces they support, and according to resource specific metadata. When searching for a resource, one should inspect the interfaces supported by a resource to discover those resources which are compatible with the application using them. Resource metadata may then be used to discover the suitability of a resource.

For example, an IP Address resource may implement the socket factory API, showing its suitability for use in conjunction with the Nodes trampolining system. Socket factory resources can act as service providers for the platforms native networking API. The metadata for such a resource might include the port numbers available. If a specific port number is required, not all resources implementing the socket factory API may be suitable.

A Resource class may be available on multiple nodes. This can be determined as part of the discovery process. It can also be determined whether the resource is available on more than one node concurrently, or on a set of nodes, and whether that availablility is serial or concurrent.