Gatekeeper Package Requirements

I. Introduction

The Gatekeeper module is intended to allow an ACS installation to act as a simple gate keeper for another web site. This is particularly useful for dealing with "mounting" another legacy website on our own site, while adding a security layer. We can then only allow access to the legacy website from the main ACS server.

II. Vision Statement

III. System/Application Overview

The ACS gatekeeper package provides an application for managing seamless remote viewing of other web pages with optional security layers.

The package consists of the following components:

• A web interface for retrieving foreign urls.
• An API for adding security restrictions.

IV. Use-cases and User Scenarios

• 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. Instead, Jane creates an instance of the gatekeeper package which points to the existing site. She sets up a security restriction for the gatekeeper instance using ACS permissions by only allowing read access for a newly created user group. She then modifies the ACS Ecommerce system to insert and remove users from the new user group based on their subscription payments. Finally, she modifies the existing site to only serve requests from her ACS server's IP address.

V. Related Links

• Anonymizer Site

VI.A Requirements

10.0 Seamless Viewing

The gatekeeper should provide seamless viewing of url's. This means that the URL's should look like they belong to the ACS site, not the original site.

20.0 Restricted Browsing

A given instance of the gatekeeper package should only provide access to a single site. The user must not be able to modify the URL so that arbitrary sites can be retrieved through the server.

30.0 Link Translation

All links from the gatekeeper page to the given site should be translated to use the gatekeeper.

40.0 User Tracking

The ability to track all pages viewed via the gatekeeper should exist.

50.0 Flexible Restrictions

50.1 ACS Permissions

The gatekeeper package should support standard ACS permissioning. Access can thus be limited by setting up limited read access to an instance of the gatekeeper package.

50.2 Callbacks

The gatekeepers should be provide access control via registered callbacks.

60.0 Full HTTP Support

The gatekeeper should support the entire HTTP specification.

60.1 POST Support

POST form submission must be supported.

60.2 Non-HTML Pages

Retrieval of non-HTML pages, such as GIFs and JPEGs, must be supported.

60.3 Cookie Support

The system should have the ability to store and respond with cookies sent from the guarded site.

VII. Revision History