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Certificate based NVO wide Authentication and Authorization driven by provision of local database st
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| Recently the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) has published a proposal for the basic building block of the Virtual Observatory, called an OpenSkyNode. This specifies a simple, queryable interface to the underlying archives of astrophysical data. This standard interface also enables interoperable services and portals built on top of the OpenSkyNodes. After studying the usage patterns of several large archives available at JHU (SDSS, SkyQuery), we have designed an experimental queue management system for large queries that also enables users to maintain their own value-added data next to the main archives, and perform a step-wise analysis there. We have built an experimental Batch Query System with local user-owned databases (called MyDB). These ideas were presented at ADASS XIII in Strasbourg. We propose to further develop and extend our MyDB and batch query prototypes into multiple, distributed nodes of the Virtual Observatory. The introduction of asynchronous queries necessitates temporary user space as well as job submission and tracking facilities. Beyond building a reference application, we will also specify a standardized, generic SOAP interface for these tasks so that even if the engines for managing the jobs differ, a common interface would exist for submission and querying of jobs independent of platform and architecture. We would like to explore a distributed system whereby multiple nodes form a trusted network (Virtual Organization) and users with an account (i.e. authentication) on one node would be accepted at other nodes without needing to register separately. We foresee users having datasets in multiple ''spaces'' on multiple machines. We propose to build a portal and appropriate protocols to enable the display of a given user's collections and the status of the respective workflows. This will require nodes to support queries about the user databases and jobs held or submitted by users, and a certain level of authentication (this time of the portal) and authorization to make such queries. Interaction with other initiatives similar to MyDB, such as AstroGrids's MYSPACE will allow us to experiment with issues such as how exactly the Virtual Organization will work i.e. if I am authorized for MyDB by NVO should AstroGrid allow MYSPACE? In this area we shall collaborate with the AstroGrid community, a letter of support is included from Tony Linde project manager of AstroGrid. Savas Parastatidis of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne UK is particularly active in the field of security and web services and we are delighted to collaborate with him in this area. We are requesting funding for 3 years to cover approximately 3 person years of work. A personnel summary follows. All software generated through this research will be Open Source and fully available for anyone. |
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