Sierra
An OpenPrivacy Reputation Management Framework

Overview:

Sierra provides a reference implementation for the components of an OpenPrivacy Reputation Management Framework (RMF) resulting in a complete Reputation Management System (RMS). Based on Talon components, Sierra incorporates a high level of modularity and atomicity, resulting in a flexible fabric that will enable easy component upgrades as experience with the system grows.

Sierra aims to free developers of an RMF from being concerned with external issues such as communication protocols and framework design. Further, Sierra introduces the concept of a Reputation Calculation Engine (RCE) that enables abstracting basic reputation issues (accumulation, persistence, composition, etc).

Sierra developers are encouraged to review the Talon project and its associated documentation.

Advantages:

• Transparent, network aware, and communicates with other Reputation Management Frameworks via any communications protocol.
• Works with any network architecture including P2P, client-server, and stand alone configurations.
• Reputation persistence is handled by Sierra and the Store framework. Reputation calculation algorithms can be plugged into the framework and their persistence mechanism can be changed without having to rewrite the RCE.
• Sierra's Plug-in based infrastructure mechanism means that new communications protocols, nym management mechanisms, etc can be added to Sierra without rewriting applications that use Sierra.
• Utilizes the Talon component system.
• Provides a standardized RMF which can be used across all systems.
• Written in Java and portable across all Operating Systems and Java Virtual Machines. Should also run on the GNU Java Compiler when GCC 3.0 is available (eta Q2, 2001).
• Dual licensed under the GPL and BSD style. This allows Sierra to be used within projects from the Free Software Foundation and the Apache Software Foundation, as well as many others. Commercial projects may also use Sierra as the BSD license is very flexible in this respect.

Summary of Packages

Nym Manager

Handles identity. Creates, manages, authenticates, and validates the pseudonymous certificates that are core to a Reputation Management Framework.

The Reputation Object

A pseudonymously signed, general purpose object that adds (or subtracts) Reputation Capital to (from) a referenced object.

The Reputation Calculation Engine (RCE)

An abstraction used to put, get, compose and otherwise perform calculations with reputations. Many online communities and collaborative environments have something resembling an RCE at their core.

The Query Package

Provides a cross platform package/architecture for offloading data query and indexing to the appropriate facility/subsystem.

The Communications (RCE) Interface

Transparently provides communications with peers.

Storage Manager

An abstraction providing a Reputation persistence mechanism.

Future Directions:

• Support other languages besides Java. Integration with C++, C, and Python is needed if Sierra is going to achieve ubiquity.

Status: