Project planning meeting - 4 September 2006
Present: Stuart Yeates (SY), Graham Klyne (GK)
Last report: SakaiVre/PlanningProgress/20060823
This report: SakaiVre/PlanningProgress/20060904
Next meeting: Mon, 4 Sep 2006, 09:00. SakaiVre/PlanningProgress/20060918
Contents
Contents
1. Agenda
- Review agenda
- Confirm date/time of next meeting
- Discussion of specific issues
- Sakai installation problem
- Conversion to Debian Linux
- Review actions outstanding at last meeting
- New activities and issues arising from current work
2. Activity since last report
The conversion to Debian continues to be slow, but is nearly done now.
Looking ahead, activities on the horizon are:
- Shibboleth installation on Debian system
- configure Sakai system
- create federated authentication with CCLRC Sakai demonstrator (i.e. User can log into our Sakai demonstrator with CCLRC credentials, and vice versa)
- documentation of lessons learned about Shibboleth and Sakai installation of Shibboleth (GK)
- start to think about creating Oxford specific features in our demonstrator (SY).
2.1. Actions closed or completed
(No actions closed)
2.2. Actions progressed
- 20060807.2
[GK+SY] Transfer Sakai installation to a Xen virtual machine on the SPIE system hardware. The new virtual machine is running Debian Linux (a supported kernel is necessary for reliable operation under Xen). The change to Debian is throwing up a few issues of system configuration that we need to work through. We'll keep the old machine running for a while as a Shibboleth test machine. See //wiki.oss-watch.ac.uk/DebianNotes and 20060721.2. We have started this migration. Tasks still be be completed include:
Install IPTables configuration. Done. See DebianNotes
Install SSSHBlack. Done. (Description of installation on Debian still needed.)
Install and configure HFS backups. Done. Manual backups working, need to check whether weekly backups work.
Install Postfix Done
Install Logwatch Done
Configure Logwatch messages Done
Configure auto-updater Done
Install and configure Apache Done
Install and configure Tomcat Done
Install and configure JK connector Done
Install and configure Shibboleth SP Installed but not yet configured.
- Install and configure Sakai
See discussion. See also SakaiNotes, ShibbolethInstallNotes and TomcatNotes.
2.3. New activities and notes
- 20060904.1
[SY] Ensure that gotchas with Sakai installation (esp need for trailing '/' on paths) are recorded at SakaiNotes.
- 20060904.2
- [GK] Check Christian's availability with Mike Fraser, in case of problems using the SPIE IdP (which we don't anticipate)
2.4. Summary of ongoing actions carried forward
- 20060721.3
[SY+GK] Modify and document Sakai configuration to persist user database. (Currently, new users added to Sakai are lost on each restart of the system.) The configuration change seems reallly easy: see http://maillist.ox.ac.uk/ezmlm-cgi?3855:mss:135:200607:pfcnekgcelolllgcmnmp. This change needs to be applied to Sakai when the new installation is complete (see 20060803.2)
- 20060301.5
- [SY] Analysis of search requirements. (On hold while we focus our efforts on the Shibboleth/Sakai integration.)
- 20060619.1
[GK] Initiate process of SDSS federation credentials. Have obtained an SDSS CA certificate, but have not yet joined the SDSS federation. See http://maillist.ox.ac.uk/ezmlm-cgi?3855:mss:84:200606:hbmpafckdeclpnjmmgmb. The current plan is to enroll the new machine as an SDSS SP (using the new certificate obtained), and use the SPIE IdP, which is already enrolled with SDSS. Dependent on action 20060807.2.
- 20060619.4
- [GK/SY] Write Shibboleth configuration document, in particular showing how the various configuration elements and functions are inter-related. Also, note relationship between Shibboleth and Eduperson attribute schema, noting in particular Shibboleth's treatment of attributes as a flat namespace, coupled with their more structured interpretation by Shibboleth-using applications.
- 20060807.1
- [GK] Write up things learned about Sakai authentication and authorization structure and the consequent options for integration with Shibboleth.
- 20060807.2
[GK+SY] Transfer Sakai installation to a Xen virtual machine on the SPIE system hardware. The new virtual machine is running Debian Linux (a supported kernel is necessary for reliable operation under Xen). The change to Debian is throwing up a few issues of system configuration that we need to work through. We'll keep the old machine running for a while as a Shibboleth test machine. See //wiki.oss-watch.ac.uk/DebianNotes and 20060721.2. We have started this migration. Tasks still be be completed include:
Install IPTables configuration. Done. See DebianNotes
Install SSSHBlack. Done. (Description of installation on debian still needed.)
Install and configure HFS backups. Done. Manual backups working, need to check whether weekly backups work.
Install Postfix Done
Install Logwatch Done
Configure Logwatch messages Done
Configure auto-updater Done
Install and configure Apache Done
Install and configure Tomcat Done
Install and configure JK connector Done
Install and configure Shibboleth SP Installed but not yet configured. (Note action 20060721.3.)
- Install and configure Sakai
3. Discussion
3.1. Sakai installation problem
We got caught by a requirement of the Sakai installation procedure (Maven based) that requires paths to be specified with trailing '/'.
3.2. Conversion to Debian Linux
Other than the Sakai problem noted above, we have made fair progress on most outstanding system transfer issues. The main remaininmg items are:
- Install Shibboleth SP
- Configure Sakai
We hope these will be completed today (4 September).
4. Notes for next meeting
(Matters arising following the planning meeting.)
- 20060904.1
[SY] Ensure that gotchas with Sakai installation (esp need for trailing '/' on paths) are recorded at SakaiNotes. Done.
- 20060807.2
- [GK+SY] Initial Sakai configuration completed and persistence of user database confirmed.
-- GrahamKlyne 2006-09-04 09:43:23
