Middleware Planning and Deployment 101: Setting the Stage Keith Hazelton, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Internet2 Renee Woodten Frost, Internet2/University

Middleware Planning and Deployment 101:

Setting the Stage

Keith Hazelton, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Internet2

Renee Woodten Frost, Internet2/University of Michigan

March 24, 2003 Middleware Planning and Deployment 101 2

Agenda

• Introductions• Middleware: What and Why? • Concepts and Architectures • Discussion • Break • Building a Business Case • Discussion • Research and Resources


MW 101 Outcomes

1. Understand what middleware is

2. Recognize the value of a common middleware architecture

3. Begin planning for your own business case


Middleware in Action


Dr. Alice Agnew has just been hired to Chair the Dept. of Physiology and is very anxious to get access to campus IT resources such as e-mail, calendar, web services and the mainframe and cannot wait for the requisite 3-5 business days it takes to get the accounts setup. Since IT already knows of her through the HR system, she can use a self-service interface to accomplish this goal. And because her new institution has her new credentials, she does not need to give her research consortium new credentials.


Dr. Alice Agnew

• Self-registration• Minimal time delay for enabling services• Administrative data flows to research applications• Administrative and security services integration• Privacy trust • Inter-organizational impact• University vouches for and acts on behalf of Alice


Mary has been reported to the Dean of Students for plagiarism. Through the campus portal, the Dean with authorization, accesses the Student Information System, where he searches for Mary’s record. He places an electronic “hold” on it and sends an e-mail to Mary requesting her presence at a preliminary discipline hearing. Minutes later, Mary cannot check out library books, enter restricted labs, use the student health facilities, or access her computer files. After reviewing Mary’s case, the Dean finds the accusation in error and removes the “hold,” restoring Mary’s access within minutes.


Mary

• Decision maker performs action• Integration of services• Increased security • Status change affects service offerings• Short-time to disable and enable services• Suite of services


Sam is taking a class in genetics at Alpha U and needs to do some research for a paper. At lunch, he goes online to access a restricted EBSCO database AU shares with Beta U. A window pops up in the browser asking if it’s okay for AU to give EBSCO information about his status --- only students from subscribing institutions can access the database. He clicks ok, knowing that only his status is passed, not his name or contact information. The browser then loads the restricted website.


Sam

• Privacy trust • Sam controls personal information flow• Administrative and security services

integration• Inter-campus access• University vouches for and acts on behalf of

Sam


What is IT being asked to do?

• One stop for university services (portal) integrated with course management systems

• Email-for-life

• Automatic creation and deletion of computer accounts

• Submission and/or maintenance of information online

• Privacy protection


More on the “to do” list

• Multi-campus scanning electron microscopes

• Integrated voicemail, email, and faxmail for Advancement staff

• Secure PDA and wireless support

• All-campus email announcements (spam)

• Expensive library databases shared with other schools by joint agreement

• Browser or desktop preferences follow you


What questions are common to these scenarios?

• Are the people using these services who they claim to be?

• Are they a member of our campus community?

• Have they been given permission?• Is their privacy being protected?

What is the answer…?


Enterprise Middleware Definitions


Middleware• Specialized networked services that are shared by

applications and users• A set of core software components that permit

scaling of applications and networks• Tools that take complexity out of application

integration• A second layer of the IT infrastructure, sitting

above the network • A land where technology meets policy• The intersection of what networks designers and

applications developers each do not want to do


Map of Middleware Land


What is middleware?

• Suite of campus-wide security, access, and information services– Integrates data sources and manages information about

people and their contact locations– Establishes electronic identity of users– Uses administrative data to assign affiliation and gives

permission to use services based on that role


Definitions: Identifiers

Identifiers– your electronic identification

– Multiple names and corresponding information in multiple places

– Single unique identifier for each authorized user

– Names and information in other systems can be cross-linked to it• Admin systems, library systems, building

systems


Definitions: Authentication

Authentication – maps the physical you to an electronic identifier

– Password authentication most common

– Security need should drive authentication method

– Distance learning and inter-campus applications


Definitions: Authorization

Authorization services – allowing you access to data and services

– Affiliated with the school (role)

– Permitted to use the services based on that role


Definitions: Enterprise Directory Services

Enterprise Directory services - where your electronic identifiers are reconciled and basic characteristics are kept

– Very quick lookup function

– Machine address, voice mail box, email box location, address, campus identifiers

Underlying Concepts & Architecture


What IT needs to do

Determine who you are

Determine what resources you can use


What IT needs to do

Possible ways it might do that– Ask you to login and look up info in its own database.– Ask you to login in and look up info in a common database.– Trust some other source to assert needed info (and other

source might ask you to login).

Examples– Videoconference: current network address– Video for course: enrolled in the course– Email or calendar: University username– Library resource: current member of the set of licensees


Pause for some terminology

• Identity: set of attributes.• Attributes: specific information stored about

you.• Authentication: process used to prove your

identity. Often a login process.• Authorization: process of determining if policy

permits an intended action to proceed.• Customization: presentation of user interface

(UI) tailored to user’s identity.


Three service architectures:#1 Stovepipe (or Silo)

Service performs its own authentication. Consults own database for authorization and customization attributes.

service

authN attrs


#1 Stovepipe (or Silo) Architecture Characteristics

Stovepipes authentication and attribute services are run by separate offices.

– Environment is more challenging to users, who may need to contact each office to arrange for service.

– No automated life cycle management of resources.

– Per-service identifiers and security practices make it more difficult to achieve a given level of security across the enterprise.


Three service architectures:#2 Integrated

Service refers authentication to and obtains attributes for authorization and customization from enterprise infrastructure services.

service1authentication

service

attributeservice

service2

An Organization


#2 Integrated Architecture Characteristics

Enterprise authentication and attribute services are run by a central office.

– All attributes known by the organization about a member can be integrated and made available to services.

– Automated life cycle resource management is possible across the enterprise.

– Common identifiers across integrated services make an easier and more secure user environment.


Three service architectures:#3 Federated

Service refers authentication to and obtains attributes for authorization and customization from possibly external infrastructure services.

service

authenticationservice

attributeservice

Organization 1 Organization 2


#3 Federated Architecture Characteristics

• Federated authentication and attribute services rely on participating organization’s enterprise services.

• Inter-organizational applications such as Grids and digital-library content provision are integrated with and facilitated by enterprise services.


Middleware Initiative Objective

Help prepare campuses to implement core Help prepare campuses to implement core middleware for an integrated and ultimately middleware for an integrated and ultimately

a federated architecture.a federated architecture.

service1authentication

service

attributeservice

service2

An Organization


Core middleware for an integrated architecture


Vignettes Revisited


Vignette analysis

Set of vignettes portray: – Seamlessness of transitions between services– Independence of location of service or user– Suites of services designed to support activities of

different constituencies– Absence of need to make prior arrangement for

resources required to enable services– Services rendered in airport waiting areas

remotely


Provisioning VignetteProvisioning Vignette: Dr. Alice Agnew begins as department chair<to model>

HRS Metadirectory

Acct Init Service

authN

attrs


Integrated Services VignetteIntegrated Services Vignette: Mary accused of plagiarism<to model>

Mailbox

Building access

Lib Proxy

Files

authN

attrsHealth

Facilities


Federated/Restricted Resources VignetteFederated/Restricted Resources Vignette: Sam using remote, online database <to architectures>

University

University

Federation

Database1

Database 2

Content

Provider


Refreshment Break

Building the Business Case


Business Case Components

By definition, middleware cannot be effective unless it maps closely to an institution’s business policies and practices. In this context, a strong business case will…• Outline the Institution-specific Drivers

• Articulate the Opportunities & Challenges• Define the Benefits• Enumerate the Costs


Groups to Consider

• Business case audience– Select stakeholders and possible champions

• Stakeholders– Executive Leadership– Business and Finance VPs– HR Directors and Registrars– CIOs– IT staff– Program Directors and Data Stewards– Auditors and Risk Managers– Faculty– Staff– Students


Institution-specific Drivers

• Internal Drivers– Specific application(s) – Financial– User expectations

• External Drivers– Federal/state legislation– E-enterprise functions– Inter-institutional collaboration


Opportunities

• Legislative pressure to reduce paperwork, secure information, and deploy electronic services (grants, financial aid, HIPAA, etc.)

• Interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research and collaboration

• Changing needs of teaching and learning• User expectations of access to technology• Budgetary pressures


Benefits to the Institution

• Economies for central IT - reduced account management, tighter network security…

• Economies for distributed IT - reduced administration, access to better information, easier integration of depart. applications...

• Improved services for students and faculty - access to scholarly information, control of personal data, reduced legal exposures...

• Participation in future shared environments - Grids, videoconferencing, digital libraries, etc.

• Participation in new collaborative initiatives - Shibboleth, Inter-institutional resource sharing…


Benefits: Specifically . .

• Achieves Economies for Central and Distributed IT organizations– Access to primary user identity sources such as HR,

Payroll, SIS, and secondary sources such as library, parking, alumni assoc., etc. can be more effectively managed by fewer people saving time and money

– Access to any one of these services can be enabled or disabled more readily

– Access to a range of services can be accomplished more quickly and in a more coordinated manner

– Deployment time for new applications is reduced


Benefits: Specifically . .

• Enhanced Security– A secure enterprise directory can:

• Be used to manage access to multiple apps/services (web, remote access, etc.) to the entire institutional community

• Facilitate differential access to wireless ports, restricted content, restricted listservs, etc.

• Allow identity management to be administered by fewer staff

• Simplified Network and on-line service access– A common middleware infrastructure can enable single

sign-on access to a larger range of customized and personalized services


Challenges

• Investing the time and effort for planning, review and negotiation

• Surviving the politics of reviewing/revising data stewardship policies and procedures

• Resource reallocation – People and $$! • Covering up-front costs• Finding $$ to build/maintain data feeds from

authoritative data sources to central directory• Potential legal risk WRT publishing personal data

in white pages


Expected Costs to the Institution

• Modest increases in capital equipment and staffing requirements for central IT

• Considerable time and effort to conduct campus wide planning and vetting processes

• One-time costs to retrofit some applications to new central infrastructure

• One-time costs to build feeds from legacy source systems to central directory services

• The political wounds from the reduction of duchies in data and policies


Enterprise Directory Costs• Phase 1: Building the Enterprise Directory

– Hire new staff vs. Repurpose current staff– New equipment/software vs. Use of existing

resources

• Phase 2: Deploying Applications– Application dependent, but ROI is high

considering:• Cost Savings• Lost Productivity• Increased Opportunity• Increased Security


Where are you in your business case process?

Research and Resources


Research Community

• Expert, diverse leadership and collaborators• Broad participation and review

–MACE and related working groups–NSF catalytic grants –Early Adopters–Higher Education Partners

• campuses, CNI, CREN, GRIDS, NACUBO, NACUA…–Government Partners

• NSF, NIH, NIST, fPKI TWG…–Corporate Partners

• Liberty Alliance, IBM, Sun, WebCt, Radvision, …–International communities–Standards bodies

• IETF, ITU, OASIS


NSF Middleware Initiative

• NSF award for middleware integrators to– GRIDS Center

• Globus (NCSA, UCSD, University of Chicago, USC/ ISI, and University of Wisconsin)

– NMI-EDIT Consortium• Internet2, EDUCAUSE, and SURA

• Separate awards to academic pure research components• Build on the successes of the Globus project and

Internet2/MACE initiative • Multi-year effort• A practical (deployment) activity that necessitates some

research• Releases occur every six months, roughly May and October


ResearchWorking Groups/Projects

• Directories– Group Utilities– Directory Management Utilities– Practice Papers and Implementation Roadmap– Directory Schema

• Shibbolet: Inter-institution web access

• PKI: HEPKI-TAG & PAG, S/MIME, PKI Labs• Middleware for Video – VC, Video on Demand

• Medical Middleware


Enterprise Middleware Resources Available

• NMI-EDIT Release Components

Software

Directory Object Classes

Conventions and Practices

Recommended Practices

White Papers

Policies

Services


Enterprise MiddlewareEducational Opportunities

• Workshops– Pre-conference Seminars at EDUCAUSE Regional Meetings

• (Like this one)

– Campus Architectural Middleware Planning Workshops• CAMP – June 4-6, 2003

– Management and Technical staff– Campuses beginning implementations

• Advanced CAMP– July 9-11, 2003– Highly technical– Research topics– Campuses with mature directory and authentication

infrastructures


On-line Resources Available

• Introductory Documents

– Sample Middleware Business Case and corresponding

Writer’s Guide

– Identifiers, Authentication, and Directories: Best Practices for

Higher Education

– Identifier Mapping Template and Campus Examples

• See resource list


• Websites

http://middleware.internet2.edu

http://www.nmi-edit.org

Look for the Enterprise Implementation Directory Roadmap

Coming in April!

Middleware information and discussion listshttp://[email protected]

http://[email protected]

NMI lists (see websites)

EDUCAUSE Constituency Group on Middleware Coming Soon!

Websites and Discussion Lists


Contacts

• Keith Hazelton

University of Wisconsin-Madison/Internet2

[email protected]

• Renee Woodten Frost

Internet2/University of Michigan

[email protected]