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Definitions
ThreeFold (TF)
AN INTERNET BUILT FOR EVERYONE, BY EVERYONE.
Threefold is a peer-to-peer network of network, storage an compute capacity for an upgraded internet, laying the foundation for a more sustainable, smart, and sovereign digital world where everyone can participate and prosper.
All the ideas and content created for this concept are opensource and stored in github A group of volunteers and the ThreeFold Foundation maintain these repositories.
ThreeFold Foundation (TFF)
The ThreeFold Foundation (ThreeFold_Dubai) is a participant in the bigger ThreeFold movement, the purpose of the movement is to bring the world a truly peer-to-peer internet.
We acknowledge and support the many people and organizations around the world who bring crucial support to the growth and adoption of the ThreeFold_Grid.
See ThreeFold Dubai
Work is ongoing to make the Foundation a global distributed concept with probably more than 1 legal entity.
ThreeFold Tech (TFTech, TFTECH)
TF TECH NV, a Belgian limited liability company, having its registered office at Antwerpse Steenweg 19, B-9080 Lochristi, Belgium, registered with the Belgian Crossroads Bank of Enterprises under company number 0712.845.674 (RLP Gent, district Gent)
TF Tech is a software tech company and is a major contributor to the software as used on the TFGrid.
See TFTech
Non For Profit
Non-for-profit organizations are types of organizations that do not earn profits for its owners. All of the money earned by or donated to a non-for-profit organization is used in pursuing the organization's objectives and keeping it running. Employees or contributors can be paid for the services provided.
In the case of TFF following remarks might be useful
- Many non for profits get a legal status by the government to not have to pay tax, in our case the foundation is in Dubai, there is no Tax implication in Dubai as such we didn't need this status or certification.
- TFF has been funded by its original founders by means of loans or investment in kind or tokens, this money can be returned to the founders whenever cashflow allows (which is not the case yet).
- TFF directors/shareholders do everything they can to only operate out of the best interests of the ThreeFold Project.
- A project is under way to officialize the structure with strict governance e.g. a company called ThreeFold VZW has been created in Belgium with official governance around non for profit structure. This company is not used yet. Other alternatives are being researched at this moment (Aug 2020).
- ThreeFold_Dubai has farmed tokens which can be used as gifts towards contributors or employees.
ThreeFold_Grid (TFG)
The ThreeFold_Grid is a new, global neutral and sustainable network of IT infrastructure. On this Grid, IT capacity is indexed registered on the TFChain for easy discovery by purchasers.
This Internet capacity is produced and allocated locally - similar to the way electricity and other utilities are purchased today. This allows any digital service or application provider to host their services and applications in proximity to the end user leading to significantly greater performance, a lower price point and better margins. This is both more cost effective and green.
IT Capacity
- IT = Information Technology.
- IT Capacity is resource availability for running any IT Workloads
- Examples of IT Workloads which can run on the TFG are
- web applications
- archiving of data
- generic storage (e.g. using the S3 storage interface)
- container workloads (e.g. using the Kubernetes interface)
- artificial intelligence workloads
- big data workloads (processing of data)
- gaming servers
- content delivery
- test workloads for developers
ThreeFold_Token (TFT)
The ThreeFold_Token is a digital Token which allows anyone to buy and sell IT Capacity on the TF Grid. This token only gets issued by the TFChain if a TF Pool gets connected to the TF Grid.
The TFChain can issue a maximum of 4 billion tokens (gen 2).
TFChain
Group of blockchain related technologies as used by ThreeFold to accomplish the following:
- store & trade your TFTs: uses Stellar Public Blockchain platform
- buy/sell capacity on the TFG: TFExplorer
- register capacity of the TFG: TFExplorer
- provision IT workloads on the TFG: TFExplorer
- ...
See the following github repos and https://github.com/threefoldfoundation/tft-stellar
Zero-OS (ZOS) or Capacity Layer
The Zero-OS is the software which makes it possible to convert any pool of hardware to become a pool of resource for the ThreeFold_Grid.
See Zero-OS = Ultra Efficient Stateless Operating System
Zero-People or Autonomous Layer
- Jumpscale = Automation Framework (self healing, ...)
User
- is the person/organization/company who buys capacity from the TF Grid
- capacity can only be bought by means of TFTs
TF Distributed exchange (TFExchange)
Since March 2020 based on Stellar integrated Decentralized exchange and before Atomic Swaps. Mechanism for people to exchange TFT to other digital currencies in a decentralized way. Atomic Swaps were difficult to use, this got resolved by switching to Stellar blockchain.
ThreeFold Farming
TFNode
- is a compute/storage server which provides IT Capacity as source for the Cloud Units
- a TFNode is part of a Farming Pool
- 3Nodes are owned by TF Farmers.
- The TFNode runs the TF Operating System and TFChain (TFC).
Cloud Units
Units of IT capacity as sold from the TF Grid to Users. More info see here
ThreeFold Farming Pool (FP)
A Pool of storage & compute hardware which allows to provision IT Capacity.
Each Farming Pool consists out of 3Nodes which run the TF Operating System and TF Blockchain Software (TFChain) which allows anyone in the world to use this IT capacity to host their IT workloads (storage apps, archive capacity, web applications, artificial intelligence, iOT, docker containers, etc).
ThreeFold Farmer
A ThreeFold Farmer is any organization or person who invests in a ThreeFold Farming Pool and connects this capacity to the ThreeFold_Grid.
As a result of Farming, i.e. creating additional capacity, ThreeFold_Tokens are automatically created by the ThreeFold Chain.
Farmers can cultivate both managed and/or unmanaged capacity.
Farmers receive TFTs
- as part of owning the TF Farming Pool (tf_farming)
- as part of selling capacity from the TF Farming Pool (cultivating)
Most TF Farmers use a ThreeFold Cooperative to become active because it hugely simplifies the process and gives them often better pricing to purchase the Farming Pool as well as connecting the Farming Pool to the internet.
The ThreeFold Farmer is the only party who owns the TF Farming Pool.
ThreeFold Cooperative
Any organization who helps a TF Farmer to become active on the TF Grid.
A Cooperative can supply any or all of following services.
- Selling required hardware kit for the Farming Pool (compute, storage, networking) to the TF Farmer (and logistics around it).
- Installing & testing the TF Operating System on the chosen hardware.
- Burn in testing of the chosen hardware: make sure the hardware is reliable and works following expectations.
- Configuration & Installation of the ThreeFold Farming Pool.
- Registration & Initialization of the ThreeFold Farming Pool.
- Delivering & Executing of hardware Warranty as specified on contract.
- Creation and Delivery of the ThreeFold Mobile App for the TF Farmer (allow people worldwide to order capacity using TFTs for the Farming Pool.
- Software support for the Farming Pool
- Training of the TF Farmer about TF Concepts
- how to use the TF Wallet
- how to safely store the TFT's
- how to go from TFT's to fiat currency like USD/EUR (and visa versa)
- how to register pricing info on the TF Grid
- how to integrate a fiat currency payment gateway into existing ecommerce website for the sales of TFT's or TF IT Capacity (e.g. integration with Stripe or other payment mechanism)
- how to consult/register information on the TFChain
- Hosting Services
- all services related to connectivity to the internet (routing, denial of service, firewalling, ...)
- rackspace & other datacenter services
- monitoring of the infrastructure (hardware and software).
Do It Yourself Capacity
Unmanaged IT Capacity can exist everywhere; in people’s home, in mobile telephone masts, in utility cabinets, next to railways or motorways, anywhere where internet lines meet electrical outlets, any IT Hosting or Datacenter Facility. This capacity is deployed to the TF Grid and has no people involved to manage its operations (apart from the physical and network aspects). Farmers have no access to the 3Nodes purchased. They can only use the capacity produced in the exact same way as any other user, i.e. through the TFChain, in a secure private and neutral way, equally applicable to all.
Unmanaged capacity provides the following 3 basic services
- Storage Capacity = backend storage services which can be used as backend for more high level storage services like S3
- Compute Capacity = backend compute capacity which can be used as backend for more high level compute services like Kubernetes.
- Network Gateway Services: integration with ZeroTier network, HTTP(s) reverse proxy, DNS services, TCP Portforwarding.
These basic services are ordered through the TFChain only. SLA's (service level agreements) cannot be be guaranteed on Unmanaged Capacity and as such not registered in the TFChain.
Certified Capacity
Capacity which received certification as organized by ThreeFold Tech.
Managed Capacity
Managed capacity is capacity that sits in a datacenter or other controlled environment where people operate and maintain supervision of the capacity connected to the TF Grid and published in the TF Directory. SLA (Service Level Agreements) are provided on this capacity like uptime, guaranteed bandwidth, response times, ...
TF Farmers have access to the 3Nodes.
Features Only Available In A Managed Capacity Farming Pool
- Published & Tracked (monitored) Service Level Agreements
Legal
The Company
The Company has been defined on the contract who refers to this document but can be any of the following:
- The company or organization who is selling a service on the ThreeFold_Grid.
- The company who is selling/buying ThreeFold_Tokens (TFTs) as capacity on the ThreeFold_Grid.
- The company who is helping a Farmer to become active on the ThreeFold_Grid = a TF Cooperative.
- The company who is selling the hardware and software required for a Farming Pool
The Product
The Product is the ThreeFold_Token or any service related to the ThreeFold_Grid which can be bought by The Purchaser. The Product has been defined on the contract who refers to this document.
The Purchaser
Is the person or company or organization who buys The Product from The Company
ThreeFold Tech (TFTech)
Software Technology company in Belgium.
Has no direct relationship with the TFGrid or TFTokens. TFTech does not farm and ThreeFold_Tokens and has no impact or does not give any direction to anything happening on the ThreeFold_Grid or in relation to TFTokens.
TFTech is the company who creates a lot of the opensource software as is used in the TFGrid. TFTech is also a contributor to the TF Foundation in the form of content or promotion, there is no legal connection in place.
TFTech business model is to sell licenses and certify TFGrid farmers if that is what they require.
Miscellaneous
TF Wallet
A software application which allows anyone to consult how many TFTs they own and to make transfers of TFTs to other parties. The TF Wallet works together with Stellar and is nothing but a javascript UI. TF Wallet is part of the ThreeFold Connect app on mobile.
Sales Related Definitions
“Acceptance”
means that any Deliverable has successfully completed the Acceptance process set forth in Section 4. Such Acceptance may be either explicit or implicit, i.e. in the absence of an explicit Rejection.
“Acceptance Period”
means fifteen (15) days as from the Delivery Date, unless otherwise agreed to in the Sales Order or as provided under statutory law.
“Customer”
means you or the customer entity identified in the Sales Order, as the case may be.
“Deliverables”
means the Hardware, Software, Services (if any), or any deliverable specified in a Sales Order.
“Delivery”
means the act of making the Deliverables available for reception by the Customer in accordance with Section 4.1.
“Delivery Date”
means the ultimate date on which the Delivery may take place, as determined in the Sales Order.
“Documentation”
means all manuals, instructions and other documents (whether in hard copy, soft copy or web-based form) relating to, or necessary for, the use, operation or maintenance of the Deliverables, together with all enhancements, corrections, modifications and amendments to such documents that are furnished to Customer under this Agreement.
“Effective Date”
means the date when the Agreement starts to operate, corresponding to the issuance date of the Sales Order.
“Hardware”
means any hardware to be provided by Company as specified in a Sales Order or Specific Agreement.
“Party”
means any party to this Agreement;
“Rejection”
means the explicit rejection of Deliverables by Customer, provided that the following cumulative conditions have all been completed: the Rejection has been notified by Customer to Company within the Acceptance Period (i.e. at the latest on the last day of the Acceptance Period); Customer has returned to Company all rejected Deliverables immediately after the Rejection notice; Any rejection that does not meet both aforementioned cumulative conditions shall not qualify as a Rejection and shall be deemed an implicit Acceptance.
“Sales Order”
means any Sales Order generated electronically by Company to allow the Customer to order, including the details specified by Customer in the checkout of the Company website, or any document that the Parties mutually agree upon as the vehicle for procuring Hardware, Software and/or Services pursuant to this Agreement.
“Services”
means any services to be provided by Company to Customer as stipulated in the Sales Order.
“Software”
means the open source software connecting the Hardware to the ThreeFold network, all in machine readable, object code form, together with all enhancements, modifications, corrections and amendments thereto.
“Specifications”
means the technical requirements for, and performance standards of, the Deliverables as set forth in the Sales Order or Documentation provided to Customer.
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