A web interface for retrieving foreign urls.

An API for adding security restrictions.

Jane Webmaster wants to build an ACS site that provides paid access to a currently existing web site. This other site uses significantly different technology, so full integration would require a great deal of effort.

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Use case
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Integration of an external web mail client: Squirrelmail (PHP-based) and
IMAP-Server.

Administrator
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The institution has to have an IMAP server up and running. OpenACS must
be installed using the external authentication via pam-imap/ldap/passwd
(etc.) to authenticate and synchronize openacs users.

The administrator has to have a webmail client like IMP or Squirrelmail
installed on Apache+PHP. The AOLServer has to have access to Apache for
instance over localhost.

The administrator has successfully installed the external authentication
package using pam.

The administrator has to do the following to integrate the external
webmail client squirrelmail using the gatekeeper.

1. Create a new Gatekeeper Instance: Name: Squirrelmail
2. Indicate the required parameters for the gatekeeper instance:
- URL to guard:
http://localhost/squirrel/
- Gatekeeper Type:

requires external authentication
- Path to an optional header/footer template
/www/service0/packages/dotlrn/dotlrn-master.adp
- Name of the authority used (local, pam, ldap...) or database table
with account informations:
pam
- used login form input field:
login_username
- used password form input field:
secretkey
- logout/sign-out path:
http:/localhost/squirrel/src/signout.php
- request method:
post
- form action:
http:/localhost/squirrel/redirect.php
- where to add the startpage of the webmail in openacs:
/dotlrn/?&page-num=3

The timeout of squirrelmail has to be set to a higher value than that of
OpenACS to make sure that the webmail session is valid as long as the
OpenACS session is valid.


Gatekeeper
--------------------------------------------
The Gatekeeper Instance registers itself for auto logon on to that
authority. Thus after a successful login the login information is also
used to login to the webmail client and the cookies are forwarded to the
users browser. Thus the authentication package has to be extended for
post-login and logout procedure-calls. On request the gatekeeper checks
the content type (html, xhtml, compressed or not, usage of frames or
not) and rewrites the links appropriately. As soon as the user logs out
the webmail client is also logged out.

User
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The user simply logs into the system once and is served a link where he
can access the webmail-client. In this case over My Space-->My Mails as
Page three under dotLRN. The documentation of the webmail client has to

be made accessible to the user.

The current Gatekeeper has to be improved by the following:
- allow usage of templates (done already)
- allow xml, xhtml
- allow compressed data
- auto-check of frames --> if frames are used then the template is
useless or the frame has to be embedded inside another frameset.
- cookies forwarding for external application (not sure if that already
exists)

Restrictions
--------------------------------------------
- Different locale between OpenACS and Webmail
- Different designs (depending on the webmail client this can be changed
via templates).
- no true integration into MySpace possible to notify user that she/he
has new unread emails.

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Other Use-Case:
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Integration of PHPWiki (xhtml) via Gatekeeper and LDAP/PAM/SQL...

Username Inputfield: auth[userid]
Password Inputfield: auth[passwd]
Form action:    HomePage?action=browse
For OpenACS-Authority: PAM
PHPWiki can use many different types of authentication: LDAP, IMAP,
PASSWD, DB,...
        

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