MultiThreaded Region Crossings?

[samlara Vintner]

Whats  all  that  about  then??
Over  to  techies  as  I  have  NO  clue
but  would  like  to  know:)))))

[samlara Vintner]

Now  thats  strange???
I  posted  this  20  mins  ago  and  it  says  its  been  read  25  times??
How  can  that  be?

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[Bea]

Certainly because it was referenced by the portal (as each new topic is), and the portal has about 250 followers. (That to say your posts are worldwide broadcasted, you are a star )
Furthermore, the forum has also its own subscribers, using rss. (Mostly non-members keeping an eyes on our writings)

[diamond marchant]

Whats  all  that  about  then??
Over  to  techies  as  I  have  NO  clue
but  would  like  to  know:)))))

By googling around, I was able to find references to "multi-threaded region crossing" but no details as to what is being multi-threaded. In general, when developers talk about multi-threading, they mean that a task is broken into parts that can run in parallel.

If you look at a document such as http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Server_architecture#Simulator , you find that a simulator does the following things.

It handles storing object state, land parcel state, and terrain height-map state. It performs visibility calculations on objects and land and transmits the data to the client. It transmits image data in a prioritized queue. Physics simulation is handled with the Havok physics library. Chat and instant messages are processed here.

When you cross from region A to region B, A transfers your  "state" to B by opening a communication circuit (UDP) and shipping the data. I assume that you don't complete your region crossing until B receives all the data.

Linden Labs reports that it has changed the simulator internal architecture to support multi-threaded region crossing, so I assume they have divided "state" into two or more parts and are shipping these parts in parallel. One would hope that this is being done in a prioritized way, such that the part that keeps you logged in is highest priority.

[Bea]

Along with that, Lindens seeking ways to optimize CPU resources. An idea in progress: the use of CPU from Sims without avatars to give more power to other Sims.

"Region idling is a new technology added to the Second Life system that will help better share server processing power between regions that are busy and regions that are empty. "

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Second-Life-Server/Region-Idling-FAQ/td-p/1535497

[samlara Vintner]

Thanks diamond:)))
Let's hope that you are right and it is prioritised
I'd rather crash without inventory than crash or get logged out.
But I think it's to early for a yay yet:)))))

[Justin]

One thing I wonder about when it comes to region idling is how long does it take to "wake up" a region when someone moves into that region.  If a region is all homes or homes and shops, then "wake up" time wouldn't be an issue.  A region that all of a sudden has one or more sail boats entering it, especially during a race, could have possible undesirable effects I'm thinking, especially if certain tasks are done first or in a certain order that could effect who gets to fully enter that region first.

On the multi-threading, this could get interesting depending on what happens if different "parts" get delayed.  Imagine the disorder and distraction of people arriving in the next region sans items such as feet or even clothes 

[Bea]

Yes Justin. My understanding on "region idling" is that a sim will be in idle mode if, and only if, also the neighbor sims are empty of Avatar. So the case you wonder about should be a no case.

[samlara Vintner]

So,  logically,  what  if  the  neighbor  sim  is  also  idle??
Justin  has  a  valid point.
There  has  to  be  a  stage  when  you  enter  an  idle  sim  for  the  first  time.
Or  will  the  wake  up  time  be  fast  enough  as  you  sail  thru  one  idle  to  the  next?