Obsolete:MNET 1.0 workplan

Work involved

Infrastructure

• RPC layer
  • Pick a library
  • Make sure HTTPS support is solid, including handling invalid certs
  • Make sure HTTPS-related errors are reported in a useful fashion
  • Add msg encryption and signing (at what layer?)
• Revamp Auth into multi-auth
  • We will be writing a auth/mnet plugin
• Review/revamp SSO plugins infrastructure
  • We will be writing sso/mnet
  • Deal with logout
  • Config UI
• Fix pending bugs in multi-enrol
  • We will be writing enrol/mnet plugin

Base protocol

Protocol should only implement the trust negotiation and setup, and a allow moodle-style introspection, so that a moodle install can probe "what do you offer?".

From there, everything else are 'extensions'. We will have to define an API for modules/plugins to make outgoing calls and to register calls. (yuck)

The "Hub"

While the protocol itself is P2P akin to TCP/IP, it still benefits from a central directory to find other nodes. Our P2P protocol doesn't have the need to avoid central directories like file-trading protocols do ;-)

So we should write a Moodle Module to be run on a central site (one for enetwork.nz, perhaps for moodle.org too) in the 'sitecourse' to run a simple self-registering scheme.

Older notes

Trust and encryption

• HTTP client to handle HTTPS correctly, and dealing with self-signed certs in a user-friendly way
• Define a simple API to
  • Publish pub cert
  • Publish services offered
  • Trigger services offered
  • Create "allow users to SSO" service
    • Options: users shortlist, remote admin approval
    • Requires Auth API work and plugin changes
  • Create "allow users to enrol in courses" service
    • Options: courses shortlist, remote admin approval
    • Requires Enrol API work and plugin changes

User-friendly admin pages

• Establish and manage trust relations
• Open/close services
• Each service with an associated usage report. Examples:
  • What remote users are logging in, from where, which remote admin OKd them
  • What remote users are enrolled in, from where, which remote admin OKd them

Protocol and services

• TODO

Core Moodle changes

We will need to

• Review enrolment plugins API -- perhaps bring in some minor changes
• Rework auth plugins API as discussed in the Multi Authentication plan