The server level

Here we are envisaging a level of processing at any one of the servers that together make up the whole service network. There are many good reasons for distributing the service in this way, but for initial trials and demonstrations this is not necessary, and the processing goes on directly from the enquiry level to the response level.

At this server level, the matching results from each of the enquiries at the enquiry level is summarised: the two pieces of information that are passed up to the response level are

1. the number of matches on this server
2. the list of iffits, each question with a number of times an answer has been required.

Recall that “iffit” gaps are only those where the passive party might have matched if the actively enquiring party had answered those relevant questions.