University of Maryland Libraries
DC Fedora User Group Update

Peter Eichman
Ben Wallberg
Joshua Westgard

April 27, 2016

Overview

Architecture Overview (Josh)

Repository Status (Peter)

Hydra Status (Ben)

Hydra/fcrepo Thoughts (Josh)

Architecture Overview

Architecture Overview

• 3 contexts
  • Administrative
  • Repository
  • Access
• 3 user groups
  • Public
  • Staff
  • Admin
• 3 storage locations
  • Fcrepo
  • Image Server
  • Preservation Storage

Architecture Overview

• Distinct spheres of activity
• Loose coupling of components
• Location determined by function rather than convenience
• Repository-centric ecosystem

Repository Status

Development Server

• Fedora 4.5.0
  • WebAC
  • Internal Audit Service
• Supporting stack
  • Apache
  • Tomcat
  • Karaf
  • Fuseki
  • Solr
• Customized Authentication

Authentication

• No authentication required
  • No authentication challenges from Tomcat
  • Let Fedora allow/deny access to anonymous users
  • Requires customized web.xml
• Custom authentication with Tomcat
  • Allow pre-emptive authentication for clients
    • HTTP Basic
    • Client certificates
  • Interactive authentication for Fedora REST UI

Pre-emptive Authentication

• Implemented with Tomcat Valves
• https://github.com/umd-lib/optional-authn-valve
  • OptionalBasicAuthenticator
  • OptionalSSLAuthenticator
• Injects a user principal into the request
• No credentials = no user principal
  • Fedora still sees requests with no user principal

Pre-emptive Authentication

Interactive Authentication

• Tomcat Single Sign On (SSO) Valve
• User login webapp
  • Authenticates using Tomcat's Realms (LDAP, tomcat-users.xml, etc.)
  • Creates SSO session that Fedora can read
• https://github.com/umd-lib/fcrepo-user-webapp

Interactive Authentication

Authorization

• WebAC
• Collection for ACLs
• Collection for groups ("Agent Classes")

Milestones

• Staging Server: May 2016
• Production Server: July 2016

Hydra Status

Adopt Rails / Hydra ?

• Benefits
  • Rails for in-house application
  • Growing suite of Hydra applications
  • Community support
• Risks
  • Hiring Rails developers?
  • UMD has success hiring from DC area Java developer pool, not from Library pool

Hydra - How to get started?

• Developer time diverted to Entrepeneurship / revenue generation
  • Hosting Services
  • Software Development Services
• Use funds to hire to hourly contract developer
  • Unsuccesful hiring developer with Hydra experience
  • Did hire local Rails developer

Hydra contract developer

• Objectives
  • train on Hydra / Blacklight / Fedora stack
  • evaluate and select existing Hydra application as baseline
  • jumpstart UMD Hydra implementation
  • provide Rails / Hydra training to in-house developers
• Accomplished (December - February)
  • training
  • evaluation and selection of Sufia as baseline
  • just began creation of Rails app extending Sufia
  • six weeks of labor, then resignation of developer

What next?

• Completed In-House Rails Training - 3 developers x 4 weeks
• Look more closely at Hydra-in-a-Box
• Hourly contractor for Rails applications

Hydra/Fcrepo Thoughts

Hydra/Fcrepo Thoughts

• Hydra continues to be the leading candidate for our admin interface
• "One Repository, Many Heads" model
• Goal: A modular and light-handed suite of admin tools
• HyBox option?
• Hydra Access Controls, PCDMW?

Thank you!

Peter Eichman (peichman@umd.edu)
Ben Wallberg (wallberg@umd.edu)
Joshua Westgard (westgard@umd.edu)