Changes between Initial Version and Version 1 of NewAPI

Timestamp:

Jun 18, 2013 1:57:29 PM (11 years ago)

Author:

faber

Comment:

--

NewAPI

@@ +1 @@
+[[TOC]]
+
+= DETER Testbed API =
+
+This is the beginning of the living document that will document the DETER testbed API>
+
+== User Features ==
+
+A '''user''' is a researcher who uses the DETER testbed.  They request testbed services and allocate testbed resources.  Each call on the API is performed by a user.  A user is identified by a string unique to DETER, teh username.
+
+=== User Meta-data ===
+
+In addition to the user identifier DETER keeps meta-data about all users.  Currently that meta-data consists of:
+
+ * Projects the user is in (see below)
+ * Experiments the user owns (see below)
+ * A password to authenticate the user
+ * A valid e-mail address for communication and password resetting
+ * Resource access information, e.g., 
+   * ssh public keys
+   * windows authentication credentials
+ * General metadata, e.g, 
+   * Real name
+   * Affiliation
+   * Phone number
+   * Address
+
+The API provides an authenticated user (see below) with several interfaces to query and modify their profile information.
+
+In the API each element of profile data is represented as a structure with the following data in it:
+
+ * name of the element
+ * type of the element
+  * string
+  * integer
+  * double
+  * binary/opaque
+  * lists of any of the above
+ * a flag set if the element is optional
+ * a modification type: elements may be read/write, read-only (e.g., username) or write-only (e.g., password)
+ * a brief description of the field, intended to be presented by a web interface or other third party program
+
+=== Authenticating as a User ===
+
+A user represnts themself to the testbed by presenting proof that they hold a public key, for example through an SSL connection.  The testbed determines what operations a user can carry out based on an ABAC-encoded policy that grants rights to users and binds keys to users.  A user is issued a public key periodically by DETER, but also can request a short lived temporary key at any time by authenticating against a shared password.