This article is cross-posted from Global Constant.

This week was the Kynetx Impact Conference 2.0, held in Sandy, Utah. I met a lot of cool people there, and I thoroughly enjoyed the intellectual stimulation of being in such close proximity to so many brilliant innovators.

One topic of particular interest was treated by Chad Engelgau from Acxiom Corporation: the spectrum of identity.

Chad argued that in order for the web to work, we need to have an identity continuum that places anonymity at one end and verified identity at the other, with room for one or more personas in between. In light of Facebook's recent announcement of the Open Graph Protocol, this is an intriguing idea. Facebook would like to do away with anonymity and personalize everything. But that model is broken.

From Chad's remarks, I'd like to construct a real-world analogy of Facebook's new proposal:

Imagine you walk into a grocery store. You have to scan your government-issued ID card before they'll let you through the door. Once they're sure you are who you say you are, you're granted access to the store and are given a cart. It knows what kinds of things you're looking for (either ones you explicitly declared or ones that are relevant based on your demographics, etc.) Advertising all over the store is modified when your cart rolls by to offer products and services of interest to you. This can make it very easy (but potentially very annoying) to find the things you really want and may or may not speed up your shopping trip.

Such a grocery store would be simply absurd. If you frequent the store, you will know what is being sold and where it is located; you'll know what you need to buy. Preserving your anonymity in a grocery store is the most efficient and the most relevant way to shop.

Now consider going to a bank to take out a loan for a new car you just purchased. If anyone could just walk in to the bank anonymously and obtain a loan, the banks would soon be in deep financial trouble. They have a need to know who you are and what your financial background is before they will offer you a loan. In this case, anonymity is absurd; a verified identity is necessary.

If the real world works this way--built around spectrum of identity--why shouldn't the web?

If Facebook's new method of personalizing sites by using your full, "verified" identity everywhere was ever intended to become mainstream, it is a broken method. It is simply not necessary.

Chad Engelgau postulated that users of the web ought to be able to browse anonymously but still get a personalized experience. In some situations, anonymity is best; in others, one or more personas that may or may not accurately represent the "real you." And in a few situations (especially where financial transactions or sensitive data are involved), a verified identity is absolutely necessary.

This is where the power of Kynetx and context automation enter the picture.

With Kynetx, users can browse the web anonymously without the need for some intermediary (think Facebook) to store and disperse personal information about you. The user can instead give information about relevant pieces of her context and allow Kynetx apps to leverage that information. If I'm Amazon.com and I want to show my visitors relevant purchase suggestions, I only really need to know what they're thinking about buying or what they like to buy from me. I don't care what their email address is or who their Facebook friends are or whether they use Visa or MasterCard. We can figure out the relevant details later when I need to know more about the user's identity (e.g., when the purchase is actually made).

Facebook wants to kill this spectrum of identity by doing away with anonymity. While that brings some benefits with it, the model is inherently broken. How do we fix it? Kynetx.

Industry Pundits Jon Udell and Steve Gillmor Address Capacity Audience of 170 Kynetx Developers in Support of the New “Client-Side” Web-

SALT LAKE CITY, Apr 27, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The greatest uses of the web are functions that have likely not been invented yet, according to Kynetx. At the Kynetx Impact Conference in Salt Lake City, technology icons Jon Udell and Steve Gillmor addressed the current focus on the “client-side” user experience of the web. (Live feed is available at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kynetx.) “Imagine walking into Borders and having your smartphone alert you that the book you put on your Amazon wish list this morning is available right now and on sale,” said Dr. Phil Windley, Kynetx CTO and co-founder. “As another example, think about an application that gathers relevant articles from your RSS and Twitter feeds based on searches you’ve performed or related to an email you just received from a friend. This is the power that occurs when we create a paradigm for programming the Internet, rather than simply writing programs that run on the Web.” This week’s conference highlights the hundreds of new applications based on Kynetx Network Services technology. The Kynetx Rules Language (KRL) lets applications span multiple URLs and network connected devices in response to user context, giving users more control of their web experience.

“While the technical architecture of the web enables contexts in some respect, it destroys context in others,” said Udell.

Udell traced the reasons systems and organizations either support or resist innovations based on the assembly of context and provided Kynetx developers (who now hold the tools to endless context assembly) with advice on how to tip the balance within the vast new arena they serve.

“The client-side revolution is changing the way we view and interact with technology at the most fundamental levels,” said Gillmor. “These changes will have a profound impact on the ways we interact with technology for many generations to come.” Gillmor shared several examples of the client-side revolution altering the way programmers develop and the ways merchants provide value via the web.

“In our first year, Kynetx is already having a profound impact on the way users are able to experience the web,” said Kynetx President Stephen Fulling.

“Commerce, learning, user privacy, and most especially user control is making a critical difference in the way we receive information and the way we do business, and will ultimately impact our culture and world.” Kynetx provided developers with details on the new Kynetx App Marketplace and additions to the Kynetx Rules Language at the event, as well as presentations from Kynetx’ Co-Founder Phil Windley and identity and lexicon expert Craig Burton.

About Kynetx Founded in 2007, Kynetx is a private company that has developed a development platform for applications that understand and respond to user context across any web-enabled device. Developers and businesses can use this platform to quickly mash up data, functions and interface points in order to create the next era of software services and Internet applications.

Kynetx CONTACT: Snapp Conner PR Cheryl Snapp Conner, 801-994-9625 cheryl@snappconner.com Copyright Business Wire 2010

That's right, Kynetx Spring Impact 2010 starts tomorrow, April 27th and runs the the 28th. With A List Keynote and Featured speakers, product announcements, amazing food and just a hint a Bacon Salt, Spring Impact will super charge your imagination with what is now possible with a platform that enables you to create context aware applications and solutions that are changing the way the Internet works.

Can't be there?...No problem. We'll be streaming Spring Impact 2010 live on USTREAM

So come join us in person or on the web...either way will be a game changer for you!

Date: 04/19/2010

Start Time: 0228 MST on 4/18/2010

Stop Time: 0900 MST on 4/19/2010

Duration: 00:30:32 (DD:hh:mm)

Severity: Sev2 - Limited impact

Later today we will be deploying updates to KNS in preparation for the unveiling of new features and functionality that we will be rolling out during our Kynetx Spring Impact conference.

We have performed extensive testing in advance of this deployment, so we don’t expect that you will notice any change or difference in the way your Kynetx Apps will perform or function.

However, if you notice any anomalies please notify us immediately by sending an email to support@kynetx.com or emailing me directly.

Thanks for your support

Sean O'Gwin
VP Developer Services
Kynetx
sog@kynetx.com

Listen up!

It’s time to stand up and be counted. We are ordering food and fun stuff for Kynetx Impact and want to count you IN!

Register today!

Do not miss the Kynetx Impact Spring Conference April 27-28 at the Larry H. Miller Center at Salt Lake Community College.

Use Promo Code: FOK2010 and receive 33% off. Register now!!

Don’t forget our amazing speakers including:

Jon Udell - Jon is an author, information architect, software developer, and new media innovator. A hands-on thinker, Udell’s analysis of industry trends has always been informed by his own ongoing experiments with software, information architecture, and new media. In January 2007, Udell joined Microsoft as a writer, speaker, and producer of another series of interviews called Perspectives. He is currently working on the elmcity project.

Steve Gillmor - Steve is a technology commentator, editor, and producer in the enterprise technology space. As the host of the Gillmor Gang Steve has pioneered the use of new media is reporting and providing commentary on the tech-world. He has held senior editorial posts at many tech publications including InfoWorld, eWeek.com, and ZDNet.

Craig Burton - Craig is a co-founder of Novell where he served as Senior Vice President of corporate marketing and development. In 1989, he co-founded the technology analysis and consulting company, The Burton Group where he served as CEO and principal analyst. Craig currently speaks, advises and consults with technology companies around the world, specializing in the Internet Services Model and software infrastructure sales and marketing.

Phil Windley - Phil is Founder and CTO of Kynetx, Inc. and is an author and speaker on digital identity, web architectures, web services, and interoperability. He writes the popular Technometria blog and is the author of the book Digital Identity. Windley is also an Executive Producer of IT Conversations, a popular network of technology podcasts.

Steve Spencer - Steve was named “One of the state's hottest and brightest business leaders under the age of 40” by Utah Business Magazine. Steve has created and grown a variety of successful tech companies. Most recently he successfully merged Twelve Horses into One to One Interactive in 2009, where he currently serves as SVP of Strategic Technologies, and the Director of One to One for the Western United States.

Other Speech & Workshop Topics include:

* The revolution of user empowerment on the web.

* How to stay at the leading edge of the shift from location-based to purpose-based web experiences.

* The new breed of cross-site web apps and how to create and distribute them.

* The power of using Kynetx to create/solve mash-ups and mis-matches on the web.

* Using the Kynetx Rules Language to create purpose-based apps that stretch as far as you can imagine.

* Leveraging data sets to create killer apps that understand context in new ways.

* New revenue streams and business models using Kynetx technology.

* App Showcase - see what others are doing that rocks the web!

And much more!

Have something else you want to talk about? We’ll also be offering unconference sessions on day two!

We will also be unveiling:

1) Kynetx App Marketplace: Yes! That’s right, Kynetx will be launching the first app marketplace specifically for cross-site, context-sensitive, Kynetx-driven apps. Listing is FREE! In minutes you can leverage this new shopping site to quickly distribute and monetize your apps.

2) Google Data Integration: Leverage the power of KRL integration with Google Calendar data. Create mash-up apps that understand dates, times and other context in new ways and leverage the broad user-base of Google Calendar. More Google data to come!

3) KRL Events: Introducing a revolutionary new events capability in the Kynetx Rules Language. This new layer gives you the power to initiate actions based on events (like a page view or click) and to create composite events, providing a completely unique way to build more responsive, complex apps that wait for, and understand events.

4) Kynetx API: That’s right! Announcing the launch of the Kynetx API at Impact. Come learn how to leverage the Kynetx API to plug into your favorite IDE, or customize your own, and create completely new classes of apps…designed by you!

These are just some of the leading-edge features and products that will be launched and reviewed at Impact.

Plus delicious food, a full-time Barista (back by popular demand), cool shirts, great prizes and more.

Register now!

Use Promo Code: FOK2010 and receive 33% off.

Date: 02/23/2010

Start Time: 1740 MST

Stop Time: 1745 MST

Duration: 00:00:05 (DD:hh:mm)

Severity: Sev1 - Platform Down

Incident Summary:

The KNS platform experienced a service interruption at 1740 MST, which lasted for a five (5) minute period. This outage was attributed to a memory starvation issue on the master load balancer in the load balancing cluster, which caused a failover of the cluster. The failover was successful, but took longer than normal (tested) due to the contributing memory issue.

Services Impacted:

• Evaluation Servers (cs.kobj.net)
• Initialization Servers (init.kobj.net)
• Callback Serves (log.kobj.net)

Root Cause Analysis:

The root cause was identified as a memory starvation issue on lb1.kob.net. The load balancer cluster has been very stable since installation,and there is no reason to suspect that there will be any further service issues.

Recovery Steps:

Once alerted by monitoring and customer reports, a manual forced failover/failback was performed by the Kynetx IT Operations team. This action restored service and returned control of the cluster to the master, who had recovered from the memory starvation issue. Going forward, the Kynetx IT Operations team will schedule a maintenance window to increase the amount of memory allocated to the load balancer processes. Service was restored in less than five (5) minutes from first alert.

Date: 1/9/2010

Start Time: 0000 MST

End Time: 0500 MST

Duration: 00:05:00 (DD:HH:MM)

Outcome: Successful

Maintenance Summary:

Kynetx will be upgrading the OS versions on all of its servers from Fedora Core 8 to CentOS 5.4_final. In order to perform the upgrade, the host servers will need to be taken offline in turn and upgraded. This maintenance will be one of many over the course of the next ten (10) days.

Impact Statement:

The following sites and services will be unavailable during the maintenance window due to OS upgrade and rebooting activities.

• Corporate website – www.kynetx.com
• Corporate blog – code.kynetx.com
• Corporate news – news.kynetx.com
• Developer website – developer.kynetx.com
• Corporate email – mail.kynetx.com (POP/IMAP/SMTP)
• Appbuilder – appbuilder.kynetx.com
• Accounts – accounts.kynetx.com
• Appdirectory – appdirectory.kynetx.com

Due to load balancing, the impact to the core Kynetx Network Services (init, eval and callback servers) will be minimal.

Maintenance Plan:

1. Shutdown virtual or physical server being worked on
2. Create backup copy of VM images on server
3. Upgrade OS on host servers
4. Restore VM images to host servers
5. Start guest images and test

Roll Back Plan:

1. Restore system from backup
2. Test system
3. Close maintenance window

Date: 12/31/2009
Start Time: 1606
Stop Time: 1635
Duration: 00:00:29 (DD:hh:mm)
Severity: Sev2 (Degraded Performance)

The KNS platform experienced degraded performance for a period of 29 minutes on 12/31/2009 due to high system load. This load was due to an ad-hoc software update job which was scheduled by the Kynetx IT Operations team.

Kynetx utilizes puppet from Reductive Labs to perform configuration management tasks. The system is a great system with one caveat, the daemon which communicates with the "puppet master" server(s) does so on a set schedule. If the daemons are all restarted within close time proximity to each other, you can run into a resource starvation issue if you are running a virtualized environment, like Kynetx does.

Services Impacted:

• Evaluation Servers (cs.kobj.net)
• Initialization Servers (init.kobj.net)
• Callback Serves (log.kobj.net)
• Code Fragment Server (frag.kobj.net)
• Kynetx Rule Language Server (krl.kobj.net)
• Kynetx Corporate Server (corp.kynetx.com)
  • Mail Server (mail.kynetx.com)
  • Corporate Web Server (www.kynetx.com, code.kynetx.com, news.kynetx.com, developer.kynetx.com)
• Kynetx Application Server (demo.kynetx.com)
  • AppBuilder
  • AppDirectory
  • Accounts

Root Cause Analysis:

The root cause was identified to be a ad-hoc software update job controlled through the Puppet system. The update was deployed to the platform within a ten (10) minute period of time, and caused resource starvation on one of the Xen host servers. The resource starvation manifested itself in the temporary inability of the guest servers to communicate with the virtual XEN network. This caused the guest servers to appear to be down, when in fact they were just busy.

Recovery Steps:

The Kynetx IT Operations team was notified of the issue within seconds of its inception by the network of monitoring agents. Once the Kynetx IT Operations team was made aware, a Severity Two (2) incident was declared, and engineers were immediately engaged to triage and resolve the issue.

Due to the load balanced architecture of the KNS platform, the impacted servers were taken out of rotation automatically and isolated as to not poison the entire platform.

Once the root cause was identified, steps were immediately taken to cancel the update job and relieve the resource starvation. The platform was fully recovered within 29 minutes of the first notification.