=====================
+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/)
+
+
1. Selecting targets within the library
---------------------------------------
-MKWS applications can choose what subset of the available targets to
+MKWS applications can choose what subset of the library's targets to
use, by means of several alternative settings on individual widgets or
in the mkws_config structure:
* targets -- contains a Pazpar2 targets string, typically of the form
"pz:id=" or "pz:id~" followed by a pipe-separated list of low-level
- target IDs. At present, these IDs are based on ZURLs, so a typical
- value would be something like:
- pz:id~josiah.brown.edu:210/innopac|connect.indexdata.com:9000/mit_opencourseware'
+ target IDs.
+
+ At present, these IDs can take one of two forms, depending on the
+ configuration of the Service Proxy being used: they may be based on
+ ZURLs, so a typical value would be something like:
+ pz:id=josiah.brown.edu:210/innopac|lui.indexdata.com:8080/solr4/select?fq=database:4902
+ Or they may be UDBs, so a typical value would be something like:
+ pz:id=brown|artstor
* targetfilter -- contains a CQL query which is used to find relevant
targets from the relvant library. For example,
udb==Google_Images
+ Or
+ categories=news
* target -- contains a single UDB, that of the sole target to be
used. For example
Google_Images
+ This is merely syntactic sugar for "targetfilter" with the query
+ udb==NAME
-2. Changing the library
------------------------
+2. Authenticating onto 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.
+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 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 two-stage process.
+Setting up such a library is a two, three or four-stage process.
-Stage A (on MKAdmin)
+Stage A: create the library
-Create the library:
+Use MKAdmin to create the library:
- Make a new library on http://mkc-admin.indexdata.com/console/
- Select relevant targets
- - Add authentication credentials as necessary
+ - Add authentication credentials to the targets 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:
+ - Depending on what authentication method it be used, set the
+ end-user account's username and password, or IP-address
+ range, or referring URL, or hostname.
+
+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:
+
+ <script type="text/javascript">
+ var mkws_config = { service_proxy_auth:
+ "http://mkws.indexdata.com/service-proxy/?command=auth&action=check,login" };
+ </script>
+
+And ensure that access to the MWKS application is from the correct
+IP-range, referer or hostname.
+
+Stage C (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
+ http://mkws.indexdata.com/service-proxy/?command=auth&action=check,login&username=MIKE&password=SWORDFISH
+
+Stage D (optional): conceal credentials from HTML source
+
+Using a 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 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, which we will call
+example.com:
- 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).
+ 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://example.com/spauth/
+ - Protect access to the local path http://example.com/spauth/
+ (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
projects / mkws-moved-to-github.git / blobdiff