Event File System
A distributed project management infrastructure
Takashi Okumura
taka@cs.pitt.edu,
Department of Computer Science,
University of Pittsburgh
Contents
Background
Requirements
Approach
BasicOperations
Sample Scenario
Background
Motivation
need for management of distributed project
– voluntary open-source software development
– Internet protocol standardization process at IETF
– distributed network research project
– workflow description
lack of appropriate tool
– on Unix!
Who should try
Person who is working with others over the network
Professor who is collaborating with many students
Hackers who die for freedom from MS
....and, member of any distributed project!
Requirements
Requirements
bottom-up management
flexibility
scalability
generalizability
reusability
communication
self-documentation
intuitiveness
open source
Bottom-up management
top-down scheme may not work
each member manages their own task
but, “a single project image” needs to be
provided…how?
Flexibility
– flexible
– modifiable
– transforming goal
– transient goal
Scalability
must be scalable!
– Cannot know appropriate scale of a project a priori
– an easy task may turn out to be complex, huge...
must be Scale-downable
– split task for individuals
– sub goal
Generalizability
must handle various activities
– arrangement of meeting
– publicity activities
– recruitment
– etc
not limited to software development
Reusability
accumulation of “how to“ information
– Expensive for distributed voluntary project
to keep or exchange such info
– Recycling of, or consulting to former
project information may help
Communication
must be integrated with communication
means
Distributed members
Feedback handling
Communication between projects
Self documentation
Communication is important, but…
– needs proper documentation
– motivated by writing programs, not docs.
– Contradiction!
Self-documentation feature is needed
Intuitiveness
Top-down management
– Project manager…?
– Management expertise…?
Bottom-up management
– Each member needs to manage something
– Intuitiveness!
Open source
for expandability
Approach
Our approach
Wrapping of file system/manager
– current system interface of daily use
– object management
– relation and event handling
– hyper link
Approach: File System Wrapping
Event information
File object
Directory
Approach: Relationship
Event relationship
Directory
Approach: Object Store
mailer object message
Logging object
Directory
Basic Design (1)
Integration with current system interface of
daily use
– intuitiveness
– bottom up property
Basic Design (2)
Object management
– project components such as schedule,
resource, and event, must have a proper
abstraction. -> Yes, Object Oriented!
– Generalizability
– reusability
Basic Design (3)
Event handling,
and relationship management
– objects can pass messages and handle events
• notification
• documentation
– communication
– self-documentation
Basic Design (4)
Hyper-Link
– flexibility
– scalability
Event File System (efs)
Wraps ordinary file system and file manager
Extends their functionality
– object management
– event handling
– hyper-linking
– Think of the objects as Events, and apply
project management technique!
Basic Operations
1) Object deployment
Document
Object
Wrapping
information
Mailer
object Directory
2) Relationship building
Temporal “send a message at
relationship completion”
3) Attribution
Name: Proposal
Owner: taka
Begin: Apr 01, 2000
Length: 2 weeks
4) PERT Calculation
Automatic updating
of scheduling
information
Critical path
5) Progress Monitoring
complete
d Status: not started
active
Status: 53% complete
6) Hyper linking
Connected to other
project
Connected to shared
server
7) Message Passing
Message to other
project
Completion
message
Log message
Sample Scenario
- A Distributed Software Development
Project framework design
Message board
object
Resource
manager
Task assignment
Owner: taka
Owner: hato
Task assignment, cont.
Taka’s home directry
Soft link
Task assignment, cont.
Incorporated with
private project
Project structuring
Super project
Sub project
Reusing of Project Template
Copy the template into your project
Then, customize!
Yes, Object Oriented!
Meeting arrangement template
Publication project template
Recruiting procedure template
Alpha-release procedure template
Integration with mail system
By exporting the mail inbox to the system,
task dispatching can be done from email
activities
result
Request mail folder
Project
initiation
Staff allocation
Taka
Hato
neko
risu
usagi
GANTT chart representation
Group allocation
Hackers
Designers
Politicians
GANTT chart representation
Resource allocation
Machine
MTG Room
Kitchen
Bed
GANTT chart representation
End