What you need to known to connect to Airavata Server 0.6

[Saminda Wijeratne <sa...@gmail.com>]

Hi Devs,

Following is detail of what is required for a client to directly connect
with a hosted Airavata server.

For a Gateway user we hold the following assumption,
*A Gateway user will be working on only one of the registered gateways per
session when using Airavata. *

Thus the identity of a Gateway user is,

   - Gateway Id
   - Username


When authorizing with Airavata, the client program (eg: XBaya/Airavata
Client)  requires the Gateway Id, username and password (password is for
authenticating if needed). The client program will then connect to a
Airavata server (to run experiment/monitor/show provenance etc.). Therefore
the users have provide an endpoint on where Airavata server. All together
following is needed for a client to connect to a Airavata server,

   - Airavata server/service endpoint
   - Gateway Id
   - Username
   - Password


*Airavata Client / Airavata API

*The Airavata Client is instantiated by.

   1. "Airavata service endpoint", "Gateway Id", "Username", "Password" *or*
   2. only "Gateway Id" & "Username" (the endpoint & password MUST BE
   configured in a settings/properties file)

Users who intend to use Airavata Client are assumed to be core application
developers. They are required to understand existence of gateways,
endpoints etc.

*XBaya

*The XBaya (refactored to use the same Airavata client) is also updated now
to request,

   - Airavata service endpoint
   - Gateway Id
   - Username
   - Password

through a dialog box when login in to the Airavata system.

However XBaya users are not always app. developers & there might be some
confusion for endpoint & gateway fields (username/password fields is what
typically expected by users). We are thinking of hiding this detail for 0.6
atleast. WDYT?

*Preconfigured gateways & users in an off-the-shelf Airavata distribution*

Airavata server by default is not shipped with any gateways or users
registered to the system (its an empty slate). Thus for convenience of
those of who'd like to try it out off the shelf, we automatically register
the following as the server starts for the first time.
Gateway Id: default
Username : admin
Password : admin

We call this gateway "the default gateway" in the Airavata system. Any
client program can use these details to connect with an Airavata Server
hosted off the shelf.

If anything is unclear, I can clarify things further.

Thanks & regards,
Saminda

Re: What you need to known to connect to Airavata Server 0.6

[Amila Jayasekara <th...@gmail.com>]

On Fri, Nov 30, 2012 at 1:23 AM, Saminda Wijeratne <sa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Devs,
>
> Following is detail of what is required for a client to directly connect
> with a hosted Airavata server.
>
> For a Gateway user we hold the following assumption,
> *A Gateway user will be working on only one of the registered gateways per
> session when using Airavata. *
>
> Thus the identity of a Gateway user is,
>
>    - Gateway Id
>    - Username
>
>
> When authorizing with Airavata, the client program (eg: XBaya/Airavata
> Client)  requires the Gateway Id, username and password (password is for
> authenticating if needed). The client program will then connect to a
> Airavata server (to run experiment/monitor/show provenance etc.). Therefore
> the users have provide an endpoint on where Airavata server. All together
> following is needed for a client to connect to a Airavata server,
>
>    - Airavata server/service endpoint
>    - Gateway Id
>    - Username
>    - Password
>
>
> *Airavata Client / Airavata API
>
> *The Airavata Client is instantiated by.
>
>    1. "Airavata service endpoint", "Gateway Id", "Username", "Password" *or*
>    2. only "Gateway Id" & "Username" (the endpoint & password MUST BE
>    configured in a settings/properties file)

I think the client should have an endpoint, gateway id and a "password
callback". Its upto API user to decide whether to read password from a
properties file or some other mechanism.

>
> Users who intend to use Airavata Client are assumed to be core application
> developers. They are required to understand existence of gateways,
> endpoints etc.
>
> *XBaya
>
> *The XBaya (refactored to use the same Airavata client) is also updated now
> to request,
>
>    - Airavata service endpoint
>    - Gateway Id
>    - Username
>    - Password
>
> through a dialog box when login in to the Airavata system.
>
> However XBaya users are not always app. developers & there might be some
> confusion for endpoint & gateway fields (username/password fields is what
> typically expected by users). We are thinking of hiding this detail for 0.6
> atleast. WDYT?

+1

>
> *Preconfigured gateways & users in an off-the-shelf Airavata distribution*
>
> Airavata server by default is not shipped with any gateways or users
> registered to the system (its an empty slate). Thus for convenience of
> those of who'd like to try it out off the shelf, we automatically register
> the following as the server starts for the first time.
> Gateway Id: default
> Username : admin
> Password : admin

For 0.6 we can hide gateway id as we have only the default gateway.

Thanks
Amila

>
> We call this gateway "the default gateway" in the Airavata system. Any
> client program can use these details to connect with an Airavata Server
> hosted off the shelf.
>
> If anything is unclear, I can clarify things further.
>
> Thanks & regards,
> Saminda