Announcing the G Transaction Server!

Hello, postgresqlers!

I announce the creation of a project to build an LGPL-licensed transaction
server. I plan initially on supporting the CORBA transaction service
spec, but I would also like to support the X/Open Distributed Transaction
Processing spec, a copy of which is on its way to me from the opengroup.
(over $300 for a 1000-page spec! It's really outrageous.)

Anyway, I am very interested in working with the PostgreSQL team. I would
like to use PostgreSQL as a backend for storing transaction state data
and logs, and I would like for the PostgreSQL team to be able to use GTS
to extend PostgreSQL to support distributed and/or replicated databases.

Enclosed is the README for the project. Interested parties are encouraged
to subscribe to the mailing list and share your thoughts.

The G Transaction Server
README by Todd Lewis
begun 7 March 1999

ABOUT GTS
=========
GTS is intended to implement the CORBA transaction services spec.
GTS has its origins in the ORBit project, and we plan on using ORBit
as our ORB; hopefully ORBit will use us for their transaction services.
GTS is roughly similar in function to the Microsoft Transaction Server
(MTS), authored primarily by Jim Gray.

GTS is licensed under the terms of the LGPL; see the file "LICENSE" for
exact details.

MOTTO
=====

The motto of the Gnu Transaction Server is a quote from General George
S. Patton, Jr:

"Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!"

INFO ON TRANSACTIONS
====================

People interested in playing with GTS should probably get a copy of the
following very awesome book:

"Transaction Processing : Concepts and Techniques"
by Jim Gray and Andreas Reuter
ISBN 1-55860-190-2
($85 list price, unfortunately)

Alternatively, you can just read the CORBA transaction service spec,
which is included in the doc/ subdirectory.

GETTING GTS
===========

You can get GTS via anonymous CVS as follows:

$ export CVSROOT=":pserver:anonymous(at)rocinante(dot)mspring(dot)net:/cvsroot"
$ echo "just press <enter> for the password"; cvs login
$ cvs checkout gts

If you write code for GTS, then send me mail and I'll give you an account
on the CVS server.

PARTICIPATING
=============

Anyone can join the GTS mailing list. If you would like to participate in
GTS development, then please join the list.

$ echo "subscribe gts-list" | mail majordomo(at)lists(dot)mindspring(dot)com

To post, send mail to "gts-list(at)lists(dot)mindspring(dot)com". Only list members
may post.

The development environment for GTS is, roughly:

- ANSI C/gcc
- posix OS features/gnu libc
- CORBA 2.2/ORBit

Ideally, I would like to be platform-agnostic. I work on Linux, and so I
imagine that GTS will run very well under Linux. If you want to get GTS
running on a marginal system like MVS or DG/UX or Windows, then go for it
and send us patches.

FUTURE PLANS
============

Eventually, I hope that we can implement the X/Open Distributed
Transaction Processing spec as well. If we can, then we should even be
interoperable with MTS. I have a copy of the XA spec on the way soon;
people interested in this part should probably also look at the Free
DCE project, which has (non-transactional) DCE-RPC already implemented.

project: http://www.bu.edu/~jrd/FreeDCE/
FAQ: http://jrr.ne.mediaone.net/FAQ/FAQ.html

--
Todd Graham Lewis 3249'N,8336'W (800) 719-4664, x22804
******Linux****** MindSpring Enterprises tlewis(at)mindspring(dot)net

"A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood." -- George S. Patton