Federation (information technology)
Encyclopedia
A Federation is multiple computing and/or network providers agreeing upon standards of operation in a collective fashion. The term may be used when describing the inter-operation of two distinct, formally disconnected, telecommunications network
s that may have different internal structures . The term may also be used when groups attempt to delegate collective authority of development to prevent fragmentation
.
In a telecommunication inter-connection, the internal modus operandi
of the different systems is irrelevant to the existence of a federation.
Joining two distinct networks:
Collective authority:
In networking systems, to be federated means users are able to send messages from one network to the other. This is not the same as having a client that can operate with both networks, but interacts with both independently. For example, in 2009, Google
allowed GMail
users to log into their AOL Instant Messenger
(AIM) accounts from GMail. One could not send messages from GTalk accounts or XMPP
(which Google/GTalk is federated with) to AIM screen names, nor vice versa. In May 2011, AIM and Gmail federated, allowing users of each network to add and communicate with each other.
Telecommunications network
A telecommunications network is a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Networks may use circuit switching or message switching. Each terminal in the network must have a unique address so messages or connections...
s that may have different internal structures . The term may also be used when groups attempt to delegate collective authority of development to prevent fragmentation
Fork (software development)
In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a legal copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software...
.
In a telecommunication inter-connection, the internal modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
of the different systems is irrelevant to the existence of a federation.
Joining two distinct networks:
- Yahoo!Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
and MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
announced that Yahoo! MessengerYahoo! MessengerYahoo! Messenger is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!...
and MSN Messenger would be interoperable.
Collective authority:
- The MIT X Consortium was founded in 1988 to prevent fragmentation in development of the X Window SystemX Window SystemThe X window system is a computer software system and network protocol that provides a basis for graphical user interfaces and rich input device capability for networked computers...
. Today every major platform besides Windows is distributed with largely compatible X server implementations. - OpenIDOpenIDOpenID is an open standard that describes how users can be authenticated in a decentralized manner, eliminating the need for services to provide their own ad hoc systems and allowing users to consolidate their digital identities...
, a form of federated identityFederated identityA federated identity in information technology is the means of linking a person's electronic identity and attributes, stored across multiple distinct identity management systems....
In networking systems, to be federated means users are able to send messages from one network to the other. This is not the same as having a client that can operate with both networks, but interacts with both independently. For example, in 2009, Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
allowed GMail
Gmail
Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as secure webmail, as well via POP3 or IMAP protocols. Gmail was launched as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004 and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though...
users to log into their AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
(AIM) accounts from GMail. One could not send messages from GTalk accounts or XMPP
Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol
Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol is an open-standard communications protocol for message-oriented middleware based on XML . The protocol was originally named Jabber, and was developed by the Jabber open-source community in 1999 for near-real-time, extensible instant messaging , presence...
(which Google/GTalk is federated with) to AIM screen names, nor vice versa. In May 2011, AIM and Gmail federated, allowing users of each network to add and communicate with each other.