 | | |  | |
      | ||||
 |
|
| |
IBM Reveals 'Butterfly Grid' for Internet Game Play
 05/09/2002 IBM and startup Butterfly.net have announced that they are bringing what they term a massive computing grid to the Internet for online game play. The companies said the technology will allow millions of people to play interactive games simultaneously in a smoother fashion. Grid computing involves high-performance computer clusters linked over the Internet, and it is a major element of the trend toward distributed systems. In a nutshell, this technology enables organizations that may be thousands of miles apart to share applications, data and computing resources easily over the Internet, often using protocols provided by the Globus open source community and others, including Linux. 'Cross-Server Sentinels' Interactive games abound on the Internet now, with players sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands at a given time, but play can be interrupted by surges in traffic. Online games also traditionally have been segmented on separate servers, limiting the number of possible participants. In addition, if a server had problems or crashed, so did the game. The IBM/Butterfly grid technology, however, provides "cross-server sentinels" that potentially could support the interaction of millions of players in "one true world, with server boundaries invisible to players," the companies said. Fewer Hiccups In addition to hosting more players, the technology is intended to improve players' gaming experiences. "When you're servicing lots and lots of customers over the Net simultaneously on the same game, traditional infrastructure has proven to be at times capable, at times not so capable," IBM spokesperson Jim Larkin told NewsFactor. "That's why online gaming hasn't reached its potential. There are a lot of hiccups along the way for gamers who are online and trying to get the same experience they get out of their Xbox or PlayStation," Larkin said. Breakthrough Platform? It took two years for the startup to build the grid, using IBM technology. Basically, the grid distributes the processing of video game interaction across a network of server farms. Servers can be added or replaced without interrupting the game. The grid is a secure system built with customized Butterfly software and operating on the startup's private network. It can link PCs, Pocket PCs, Palm-compatible handhelds and video game consoles. Games can be played over broadband, dial-up and mobile connections. "We believe the Butterfly Grid is a breakthrough platform," said IBM Global Services vice president of business development Scott Penberthy. The companies added that software development kits, available at Butterfly's Web site, can plug into the grid, reducing costs. Hardware by IBM IBM supplies the hardware for the system. The grid is powered by rack-mounted Linux-based IBM servers that run on internal fiber-optic networks. The Butterfly Grid will be shown and demonstrated at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on May 21st in Los Angeles. Grid computing first achieved success in the academic, scientific and technical communities because researchers around the world needed to share vast resources. IBM has its own grid network, for example - a distributed supercomputer that links IBM research and development labs in the United States, Israel, Switzerland, Japan and England. News Archive | |
| | |||||||||||||||
|
Home | About Us | Solutions | Customers | Account | Contact Us | Korean Links
Return Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
| ||||||||||||||||||||
You have 
