Below is a list of some of the more common questions about RepliWiki. Please check back often as new things are on their way!
Q: What is RepliWiki?
A: RepliWiki is a decentralized, multi-master implementation of the famed Wikipedia architecture and MediaWiki software. Whereas the current Wikipedia architecture relies on a centralized database repository and distributed squid caching servers, RepliWiki uses OR as its underlining mechanism for distribution and reconciliation of article updates using anti-entropy. Furthermore, it is implemented atop our SHH-Sync application allowing it to benefit from the following three properties: 1) Divergence Control, 2) Efficient Update Propogation, and 3) Tamper-evident Update History. For more information, please see our conference paper on SHH/OR downloadable here.
Q: Why RepliWiki?
A: RepliWiki is truly an ideal application to explore SHH's three main properties mentioned above. Due to its unprecedented growth in its relatively short five year existence, Wikipedia today contains over 2,550,000 unique articles with more than 880,000 of them in the English language alone. Furthermore, a recent report by Alexis Internet studies suggests that Wikipedia is now the 33rd most popular website on the Internet in terms of sheer number of users. However, despite this growth, Wikipedia has faced tremendous challenges in scaling their architecture to keep up with sheer user demand. In fact, we found that during December 2005, 74% of Wikipedia's fourth quarter budget was allocated to hosting costs including the purchase of new machines, maintenance work, and bandwidth utilization. With these expenses growing in proportion to Wikipedia's popularity, we foresee Wikipedia's service begin to deterioriate unless something is done now. For that reason we have developed RepliWiki which uses OR as its underlining mechanism. In the future we hope that universities, municipals, and other not-for-profit organizations will step up and serve as replicated hosting providers allowing everybody to benefit from the tremendous depth of knowledge offered by Wikipedia.
Q: Where can I get RepliWiki?
A: The RepliTrace, RepliTraceLoader, and RepliShuffle utilities as well as the RepliGUI frontend can be downloaded by clicking here.
Q: Where is RepliWiki deployed?
A: RepliWiki is currently deployed on PlanetLab among four nodes located throughout the country. We have performed significant testing in this regard which led to the various facts and figures we described in our SHH conference paper located here. You can experience the power of SHH and RepliWiki by editing an article on one PlanetNode and have it appear on the three others after about five minutes or after synchronization has taken place. Presently we have deployed two sets of Planetlab nodes; where each set synchronizes among themselves.
In certain cases, planetlab nodes might not respond due to various reasons. In such an event, please send an email to gsingara [at] uncc.edu.
Q: How can I I test the RepliWiki deployment?
A: Please use the four PlanetLab links above to verify SHH convergence. Simply create and/or edit an article by using the Search Box to enter the article title and then click Edit to begin editing the article. After submitting your changes, you should then wait approximatly five minutes to see your changes reflected among the other three PlanetLab nodes. The delay is due to the cronjob that is run in the background which controls publishing the changes into SHH-Sync's directory space.
Last Modified May 11, 2006 10:00 AM EST