X-Git-Url: http://git.indexdata.com/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Flibrary-configuration.txt;h=cb2db48253aa37fa0b7a106a5cbfd135cbb44566;hb=0986abad1233c7192bca36a56956154989b354a7;hp=3b061aa7d5136c0fe2e87fb54e6b5bd8dcb772b9;hpb=341b98d705b4e31cdaa4253793d0abb5641d8da1;p=mkws-moved-to-github.git diff --git a/doc/library-configuration.txt b/doc/library-configuration.txt index 3b061aa..cb2db48 100644 --- a/doc/library-configuration.txt +++ b/doc/library-configuration.txt @@ -2,15 +2,176 @@ MKWS Target Selection ===================== -MKWS accesses targets using the Pazpar2 metasearching engine, almost -always fronted by the Service Proxy to manage target selection. This -document assumes the SP is used, and so that a library of targets is -available, maintained using an instance of MKAdmin (often -http://mkc-admin.indexdata.com/console/) +MKWS accesses targets using the Pazpar2 metasearching engine. Although +Pazpar2 can be used directly, using a statically configured set of +targets, this usage is unusual. More often, Pazpar2 is fronted by the +Service Proxy (SP), which manages authentication, sessions, target +selection, etc. + +This document assumes the SP is used, and explains how to go about +making a set of targets (a "library") available, how to connect your +MKWS application to that library, and how to choose which of the +available targets to use. + + +1. Maintaining the library +-------------------------- + +The service proxy accesses sets of targets that are known as +"libraries". In general, each customer will have their own library, +though some standard libraries may be shared between many customers -- +for example, a library containing all open-access academic journals. +A library can also contain other configuration information, including +the set of categories by which targets are classified for the library. + +Libraries are maintained using MKAdmin (MasterKey +Admin). Specifically, those used by MKWS are generally maintained on +the "MKC Admin" installation at + http://mkx-admin.indexdata.com/console/ + +In general, Index Data will create a library for each customer, then +give the customer a username/password pair that they can use to enter +MKAdmin and administrate that library. + +Once logged in, customers can select which targets to include (from +the list of several thousand that MKAdmin knows about), and make +customer-specific modifications -- e.g. overriding the titles of the +targets. + +Most importantly, customers' administrators can add authentication +credentials that the Service Proxy will used on their behalf when +accessing subscription resources -- username/password pairs or proxies +to use for IP-based authentication. Note that IT IS THEN CRUICIAL TO +SECURE THE LIBRARY FROM USE BY UNAUTHORISED CLIENTS, otherwise the +customer's paid subscriptions will be exploited. + +Access to libraries is managed by creating one or more "User Access" +records in MKAdmin, under the tab of that name. Each of these records +provides a combination of credentials and other data that allow an +incoming MKWS client to be identified as having legitimate access to +the library. The authentication process, described below, works by +searching for a matching User Access record. + + +2. Authenticating your MWKS application onto the library +-------------------------------------------------------- + +Some MKWS applications will be content to use the default library with +its selection of targets. Most, though, will want to define their own +library providing a different range of available targets. An important +case is that of applications that authenticate onto subscription +resources by means of backe-end site credentials stored in MKAdmin: +precautions must be taken so that such library accounts do not allow +unauthorised access. + +Setting up such a library is a process of several stages. + +Stage A: create the User Access account + +Log in to MKAdmin administrate your library: + - Go to http://mkc-admin.indexdata.com/console/ + - Enter the adminstrative username/password + - Go to the User Access tab + - Create an end-user account + - Depending on what authentication method it be used, set the + User Access account's username and password, or IP-address + range, or referring URL, or hostname. + +If your MWKS application runs at a well-known, permanent address -- +http://yourname.com/app.html, say -- you can set the User Access +record so that this originating URL is recognised by setting it into +the "Referring URL" field. + +If your application accesses the Service Proxy by a unique virtual +hostname -- yourname.sp-mkws.indexdata.com, say -- you can tie the use +of this hostname to your library by setting the User Access record's +"Host Name" field to name of the host where the SP is accessed. NOTE +THAT THIS IS NOT SECURE, AS OTHER APPLICATIONS CAN USE THIS VIRTUAL +HOSTNAME TO GAIN ACCESS TO YOUR LIBRARY. + +### Authentication by IP address does not yet work correctly -- see +bug MKWS-234 ("Improve SP configuration/proxying for better +authentication"). + +Alternatively, your application can authenticate by username and +password credentials. This is a useful approach in several situations, +including when you need to specify the use of a different library from +usual one. To arrange for this, set the username and password as a +single string separated by a slash -- e.g. "mike/swordfish" -- into +the User Access record's Authentication field. + +You can create multiple User Access records: for example, one that +uses Referring URL, and another that uses a username/password pair to +be used when running an application from a different URL. + +Stage B: tell the application to use the library + +In the HTML of the application, tell MKWS to authenticate on to the +Service Proxy. When IP-based, referer-based or hostname-based +authentication is used, this is very simple: + + + +### This should be the default setting + +And ensure that access to the MWKS application is from the correct +Referrer URL or IP-range. + +Stage C1 (optional): access by a different virtual hostname + +When hostname-based authentication is in use, it's necessary to access +the Service Proxy as the correctly named virtual host. This can be +done by setting the service_proxy_auth configuration item to a +URL containing that hostname, such as + //yourname.sp-mkws.indexdata.com/service-proxy/?command=auth&action=perconfig + +### It should be possible to change just the hostname without needing +to repeat the rest of the URL (protocol, path, query) + +### When changing the SP authentication URL, the Pazpar2 URL should in +general change along with it. + +Stage C2 (optional): embed credentials for access to the library + +When credential-based authentication is in use (username and +password), it's necessary to pass these credentials into the Service +Proxy when establishing the session. This can most simply be done just +by setting the service_proxy_auth configuration item to a URL such as + //sp-mkws.indexdata.com/service-proxy/?command=auth&action=perconfig&username=mike&password=swordfish + +### It should be possible to add the username and password to the +configuration without needing to repeat the rest of the URL. + +Stage D (optional): conceal credentials from HTML source + +Using a credential-based Service-Proxy authentication URL such as the +one above reveals the the credentials to public view -- to anyone who +does View Source on the MKWS application. This may be acceptable for +some libraries, but is intolerable for those which provide +authenticated access to subscription resources. + +In these circumstances, a more elaborate approach is necessary. The +idea is to make a URL local to the customer that is used for +authentication onto the Service Proxy, hiding the credentials in a +local rewrite rule. Then local mechanisms can be used to limit access +to that local authentication URL. Here is one way to do it when +Apache2 is the application's web-server, which we will call +yourname.com: + + - Add a rewriting authentication alias to the configuration: + RewriteEngine on + RewriteRule /spauth/ http://mkws.indexdata.com/service-proxy/?command=auth&action=check,login&username=U&password=PW [P] + - Set thwe MKWS configuration item "service_proxy_auth" to: + http://yourname.com/spauth/ + - Protect access to the local path http://yourname.com/spauth/ + (e.g. using a .htaccess file). -1. Selecting targets within the library ---------------------------------------- +3. Choosing targets from the library +------------------------------------ MKWS applications can choose what subset of the library's targets to use, by means of several alternative settings on individual widgets or @@ -40,52 +201,3 @@ in the mkws_config structure: udb==NAME -2. Changing the library ------------------------ - -Some MKWS applications will want to define their own library providing -a different range of available targets. This is particularly important -in the case of applications that authenticate onto subscription -resources by means of credentials stored in MKAdmin, in that such -library accounts need to prohibit unauthorised access. - -Setting up such a library is a two-stage process. - -Stage A (on MKAdmin) - -Create the library: - - Make a new library on http://mkc-admin.indexdata.com/console/ - - Select relevant targets - - Add authentication credentials as necessary - - Create an end-user account - - Set its username and password - -Stage B (on the application's web-server): - -Authentication onto the library can be achieved by a single HTTP GET -to the relevant Service Proxy, passing in the credentials and thereby -initiating an HTTP session. This can most simply be done just by -setting service_proxy_auth to a URL such as - http://mkws.indexdata.com/service-proxy/?command=auth&action=login&username=MIKE&password=SWORDFISH - -However, doing so reveals the the credentials to public view -- to -anyone who does View Source on the MKWS application. This may be -acceptable for some libraries, but is intolerable for those which -provide authenticated access to subscription resources. For such -circumstances, a more elaborate approach is necessary. The idea is to -make a local URL that is used for authentication onto the Service -Proxy, hiding the credentials, and to use local mechanisms to limit -access to that local authentication URL. Here is one way to do it when -Apache2 is the application's web-server: - - - Add a rewriting authentication alias to the configuration: - RewriteEngine on - RewriteRule /spauth/ http://mkws.indexdata.com/service-proxy/?command=auth&action=login&username=U&password=PW [P] - - Extend the MKWS configuration to set service_proxy_auth: - http://application.com/spauth/ - - Protect access to /apauth/ (e.g. using a .htaccess file). - -Once such a library has been set up, and access to it established, -target selection within the set that it makes available can be done -using the mechanisms above. -