GSS
The acronym GSS stands for Global State Services. Globally available service which employs a proprietary protocol which enables any licensed application to switch state between devices seamlessly and securely. The service is deployed using standard web services which enable any web enabled device to communicate with it using XML over HTTP.
Usability
Platform and content independent you can use the GSS services to transfer your state to any supported device, mobile or stationary. Any game, form or application can be restored to any capable device. A game invoked on your tablet can simply switch to a friend’s smart TV miles away. A smart form can be edited on a supplier’s desktop, digitally signed by a client in the other side of the globe and transferred back to the supplier’s dispatch centre in a different continent. Similarly the same mechanism can be used to control global web application load balancing.
GSS implementation
Any application may register with the GSS services, enabling it to persist across devices. All that is required is for the application to pack its state using the GSS format, transmit it to the GSS service using the GSS protocol, message the target device using the GSS handler and the state is restored to the target device.
The GSS components
The GSS vision is comprised on three main components
The GSS protocol
The GSS protocol is a form of transferring free form state in and out of the GSS cloud. The simple protocol is based on web data standards (XML) and is built in two sections:
The GSS section which includes a single use token and target application
The State section which is any well-formed XML
Any registered application will be supplied with a strong secured identification which is transmitted securely over https to identify the target application and a public unique identification which will be used when communicating with the target device. Every GSS invocation creates a unique single use token which is used to identify the individual state. Once a state has been pulled the token is invalidated
The GSS message
The GSS message is the carrier which identifies the target device that a state is available for a specific application. Only the target application’s public credentials are transferred alongside with the unique token. Once invoked on the target device, the application identifies itself to the GSS cloud in the secured hidden manner and receives an handle to pull the individual state.
The GSS cloud
The GSS cloud is approachable using standard web methods. Any call to the GSS cloud must include the application registered credentials and may be a push or a pull call.
Push Calls
A push call uploads an individual state to be stored as an encrypted stream of well-formed XML waiting to be pulled; the only return value is the one off token.
Pull Calls
A pull call requests a specific token for a specific application; the token’s validity and context are validated and once validated the token is destroyed and the target application receives a download handle. Once the download is completed, the state is nullified.