Start date: 1 April 2004
End date: 31 March 2005
Funding programme: Core Middleware: Technology Development programme
Project website:
http://www.kidderminster.ac.uk/kc-rolo
JISC theme(s): Access management
Introduction
The primary aim of the project will be to setup Shibboleth architecture between Kidderminster College, RSC West Midlands and University College Worcester to provide a long term method of sharing of institutional learning resource objects. This implementation will incorporate other technologies such as a WebISO in the form of Pubcookie.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of the project is to identify how Shibboleth and PERMIS Open Source architectures can provide an interoperability framework between Institutions that will support a member of a Campus Community (Staff & Students) in the sharing of Institutional repository learning objects. Develop and implement a collection of 'middleware' services that can be called by an Open Source (Moodle) VLE, via Secure Web Services.
The specific objectives are to:
- Develop a sustainable repository framework partnership between Kidderminster College (lead Institution), RSC West Midlands and University College Worcester.
- Setup and test Shibboleth architecture between Kidderminster College, RSC West Midlands and University College Worcester to investigate the possibilities of a long-term method of sharing learning resource objects throughout the region.
- This implementation will incorporate other technologies such as a WebISO in the form of Pubcookie.
- Implement a pilot service available to groups of students and teaching staff in University College Worcester.
- Provide a test bed for disparate platforms used by other institutions, by testing the Shibboleth/PERMIS/Pubcookie solution on both Windows and Linux systems.
- Provide a streamlined package of Shibboleth/PERMIS/Pubcookie, as a bundle of software and documentation. This will provide an easy means for institutions to get involved in the sharing of resources, providing a complete guided solution.
Project Methodology
Develop how Institutions and users can control what attributes are released by integrating PERMIS into the Shibboleth architecture, to provide more complex access policies for authorisation.
Once this is in place and experience has been gained in the setting up and administering of Shibboleth, the PERMIS decision engine will be incorporated into the Shibboleth architecture.
Documentation will be kept throughout the project with the purpose of providing a streamlined package of Shibboleth/PERMIS/Pubcookie.
This bundle of software and documentation will provide an easy means for smaller institutions to get involved in the sharing of resources, providing a complete guided solution. To provide for disparate platforms used by other institutions, we will test the Shibboleth/PERMIS/Pubcookie solution on both Windows and Linux systems.
Implications / Deliverables / Stakeholders
Deliverables:
- Shared learning resources between Kidderminster College, RSC West Midlands and University College Worcester via Shibboleth architecture and Moodle Open Source VLE.
- Single Sign-On implemented at Kidderminster College, using open source Pubcookie.
- A PERMIS/Shibboleth hybrid, with enhanced Role Based policies allowing for more powerful authorisation policies.
- Accompanying source code and documentation for PERMIS/Shibboleth hybrid.
- Guides for implementing Shibboleth and all above components from scratch on different platforms. Includes all documentation and findings from experience gained over the project, with particular interest in allowing smaller institutions to get involved in the sharing process.
- Quality assurance and evaluation of software end-products to Open Source standards will maintained, ensuring that they are accessible and understandable to subsequent developers and appropriately skilled institutional systems administrators.