Slicer/Features/Middleware

<< Slicer/Features

 For updates see OpenIGTLink

Title

Middleware

Names

• session leader

• participants

Technology/Function description

Goal

• Slicer + IGSTK

Technologies

• Look at Publish subscribe ORB/ACE - DDS [Peter]
• Socket IGSTK [Junichi Patrick]
• Navitrack - phase out?
  • Hard to debug
  • Not modular (some modules can't be disabled)
  • No error handling - just halt
  • Not as simple and clean as just using the standard TCP/IP socket
  • Still problems with image transfer under Windows and possibly other OS (packet size is not based on the size allowed by OS)
  • Security: can be flooded with packets, no authentication

Requirements

• Reliable for command transfer (all data transferred, in order)
• Fast for tracking data transfer (only the latest coordinate is required, can lose data)
• Image transfer (500K or more)
• Data types (struct: string, integer, float)
• Data type checking (number is correctly formatted etc)
• Time out (device is down)

Would be nice to have

• Priority
• Point - multi-point data transfer

Questions

• UDP - fast, no delay due to ACK packages
• TCP/IP - reliable, easy
• Security
  • malicious packets or sent by mistake
  • CRC and auth.?
  • pop up a dialog box before accepting data? (just one, to avoid flood)
  • same issues with Slicer3:Slicer_Daemon
• Firewall?

See also

• discussion about data transfer

Potential application in IGT

• Tracker data transfer
• Image transfer from MRI
• Robot coordinate transfer
• Robot control
• Periferials: OpenTracker/Navitrack has 3D mouse driver etc.

Which part is already in Slicer

• IGSTK intra process communication

What is not

• IGSTK inter-process communication

Who among us will take leading role?

• Junichi
• Georgetown
• JHU
• Queen's

Links

• 2007 Slier IGTWS homework GT
• 2007 Slier IGTWS homework NCIGT]