What is the e-Framework

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What is the e-Framework

• IDEA 2007 The e-Framework in Action
• Lyle Winton

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Workshop statements

• As a shared resource, the e-Framework
  facilitates communication, saves time, ensures
  better outcomes and encourages innovation.
  Clearly, the e-Framework is an invaluable tool
  for the practitioner community.
• Chris Blackall, APSR

3
What is it?

• Background
• Enabling meaningful conversations collaboration
  across boundaries
• DEST / JISC e-Framework for Education and
  Research
• Now DEST, JISC (UK), MoE (NZ), SURF (NL)

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What is it?

• Goal
• technical interoperability
• in education and research
• by improving
• strategic planning
• implementation processes
• Principles
• service oriented approach (soa)
• open standards
• community involvement
• incremental development

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Typical University Environment

• Overlap of functions and data within components
  means significant data replication required to
  keep components synchronised.
• Virtually impossible to implement single sign on,
  for example, in this type of environment.

Scott Wilson - CETIS
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Service oriented approach (soa)

• No need to replicate data all applications use
  the same common data sources.

• Individual components smaller so easier to create
  and maintain.

Scott Wilson - CETIS
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Service oriented approach (soa)
SERVICES
Services need well defined interfaces so all
components can access them.
Scott Wilson - CETIS
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Service oriented approach (soa)
UI
UI
UI
?
SIS
LMS
New Super LMS
OMS
PMS
CMS
LDAP
Identity Directory
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Service oriented approach (soa)

• Traditional approach
• spec -gt build -gt test -gt deploy -gt hope for no
  change
• Service Orientation approach (little soa)
• separation of IT and Business Problems is
  incorrect
• is a business oriented approach
• applying Architecture to Services to meet
  Business Needs

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Service oriented approach (soa)

• Service Oriented approach in practice
• building components of real business value
• business continually change
• Innovation, Problem response, Adaptation
• designing systems for change
• build services for integration, interoperability,
  and loose coupling
• choreograph services to meeting business process
• measure the business value
• Enterprise Architecture artifacts, stakeholders,
  contracts, governance
• closing gap between business requirements and IT
  services

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Service oriented approach

• Service
• technical interface to actions that support a
  business process, e.g.,
• deliver webpage
• search for content
• generate metadata

• service-oriented approach (soa)
• Combine services to meet business needs, e.g.,
  access content
• search for content
• authenticate user
• authorise access
• obtain content

• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
• SOA defines complete architecture
• soa allows iterative service-enabling
• soa not tied to one technology
• Web Services
• one possible technology for implementing
  services (SOA)

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What is it?

• Sure but what are the e-Framework outputs?
• a knowledge base

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What can it do?

• Interoperable Development (Standards and
  Services)
• Standards encourage Interoperability, soa
  encourages Integration
• But Standards and Services are not enough!
• Addresses interoperability at the pain points
• At the business policy/process level
• At an application and implementation level
• At the service-oriented level(service interfaces
  and contracts)
• At the semantic level
• In a specific context
• Adoption and Adaptation
• Taking standards or community profiles and
  adopting or adapting
• e-Framework provides a feedback mechanism
• Analysis of differences between
  communities/adaptations

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Interoperability requires Compatibility
ORGANISATION B
ORGANISATION A
Collaboration
Organisational Policies
Organisational Policies
Compatibility
Business Processes
Business Processes
Compatibility
Information Resources
Information Resources
Compatibility
Application Systems
Application Systems
Compatibility
Technical Infrastructure
Technical Infrastructure
Compatibility
diagram Peter Croger
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What can it do?

• Interoperable Development (Standards and
  Services)
• Standards encourage Interoperability, soa
  encourages Integration
• But Standards and Services are not enough!
• Addresses interoperability at the pain points
• At the business policy/process level
• At an application and implementation level
• At the service-oriented level(service interfaces
  and contracts)
• At the semantic level
• In a specific context
• Adoption and Adaptation
• Taking standards or community profiles and
  adopting or adapting
• e-Framework provides a feedback mechanism
• Analysis of differences between
  communities/adaptations

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What can it do?

• Publishing Information
• Asset catalogue of technologies and standards
• Experiences in adoption, testing emerging
  standards and technologies
• Communities focused around interoperability
• Leveraging International Experience
• What are other countries doing (consistent vocab)
• How are they doing it (consistent model)
• Strategic Advice
• Pick a community in which to interoperate
• Informed choice of domain tools, standards and
  technologies
• Existing gaps become more obvious
• Promotes reuse and not rebuild

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What can it do?

• e-Framework benefits to the community
• documentation
• requirements, infrastructure, architecture, usage
  docs
• catalogue of technologies standards
• tools for communities to make informed choices

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But the e-Framework

• is not intended to be prescriptive
• is not meant to be implemented all at once
• is not an architecture

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e-Framework Model
Buildand Deploy Applications
Buildand Deploy Service Instances
Service UsageModel
CORE ServiceUsage Models
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e-Framework Components

• business processes modelling
• service usage models (SUMs)
• service genres
• service expressions
• service implementations
• service instances
• e-F Descriptions of Standards (eFDOS)
• CORE service usage models (SUMs)

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Service Genres

• A collection of related behaviours describing an
  abstract capability
• Factor (identify) service genres from behaviors
  used in SUMs
• Service genres proposed by the community
• Service genre registry maintained by the
  e-Framework
• e-Framework documentation standards

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Service Genres
SEARCH
AUTHENICATE
ANNOTATE
PERSONALISE
RESOLVE
SCHEDULE
SIMULATE
IDENTIFY
HARVEST
AUTHORISE
MESSAGING
REGISTER
ALERT
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Service Genre Description

• Name
• Rationale
• Classification
• Version
• Description
• Functionality
• Usage Scenarios
• Applicability
• Requests and Behaviours
• Use and Interactions

• Structure
• Applicable Standards
• Design Decisions and Tradeoffs
• Implementation Guidance and Dependencies
• Known Uses

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Service Genre Authenticate

• Description
• Authentication, the process of uniquely
  identifying an individual or entity (the
  principal) based on objects provided for
  verification (credentials). Authentication
  typically verifies the principals association
  with an electronic identifier. Authentication
  may also determine that the principal has certain
  attributes
• Functionality
• Authentication allows a principals credentials
  to be validated. This MAY then allow further
  access to relying parties. Authorisation MAY
  occur after authentication to determine the
  principals access rights.
• Requests and Behaviours
• MUST accept a principals credentials for
  validation
• MUST return success if validation succeeded
• MAY return failure and/or reason for failure, if
  validation failed
• MAY provide a principals identifier

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Genre vs Expression

• Genre technology independent
• Expression one specific way to realise the
  genre
• Many expressions for each genre
• Different expressions may overlap in function
• Expression may be only part of one genre
• Key component for interoperability
• In specific context, project, community
• May tighten standards and data semantics
• Can be used to develop service implementations
• Can be service-oriented design and runtime
  contract
• Any one SUM in terms of either expressions or
  genres, but not both (XOR)

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e-Framework Services Model
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Service Expressions
SEARCH
AUTHENICATE
ANNOTATE
PERSONALISE
RESOLVE
SCHEDULE
SIMULATE
IDENTIFY
HARVEST
Service Expressions (e.g., SRU, SRW, Z39.50, CQL,
ECL in specific context) Behaviours Operations D
ata Definitions Standards Specifications
AUTHORISE
MESSAGING
REGISTER
ALERT
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Service Expression Description

• Name
• Rationale
• Classification
• Service Genre
• Version
• Description
• Functionality
• Usage Scenarios
• Applicability
• Requests and Behaviours
• Use and Interactions

• Structure
• Interface Definition
• Applicable Standards
• Design Decisions and Tradeoffs
• Implementation Guidance and Dependencies
• Known Uses
• Service Expression Dependencies
• Related Service Expressions
• Related SUMs
• Related Service Patterns

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Service Usage Models (SUMs)

• SUMs describe
• applications, systems, context
• the processes (human and computer)
• the services
• the relationships among technical components
  (services, data sources, standards) used for
  software applications
• The SUM scope is the gap between
• business activities and requirements
• and implemented IT services

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Service Usage Model Description

• Name
• Version
• Rationale
• Classification
• Notation
• Description
• Business Process Modelling
• SUM Diagram
• Usage Scenarios
• Applicability
• Functionality

• Structure and Arrangement
• Applicable Standards
• Design Decisions and Tradeoffs
• Implementation Guidance and Dependencies
• Known Uses
• Data Sources Used
• Related SUMs
• Services Used
• CORE SUMs Used
• References
• Glossary

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e-Framework Service Usage Model Name Name UK HE
Admissions Structured Personal Statement Alternati
ve Names eP4LL SUM
Rationale This SUM has been prepared from the
work undertaken by the e-Portfolios for Lifelong
Learning project. The initial aim of the project
was to produce a model of an e-Portfolio capable
of providing and receiving services from other
e-Portfolios, and of facilitating admissions and
transitions between study and employment.
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Business Process Modelling Standard HR practice
is to specify the essential and desirable
features that applicants for a job should
possess. This may include quantified information
such as formal qualifications alongside
applicants personal attributes and experience.
Typically a sift of applications identifies and
prioritises potential candidates on the basis of
hard information on the essential elements of the
person specification, such as skills and
qualifications. The SUM in essence deals with a
single business process, the transition from
Further Education to Higher Education
Functionality The SUM functionality closely
mirrors the business process described
previously. It is assumed that the Structured
Personal Statement, is prepared over the course
of the engagement ... Locate a course This
function enables a learner to locate a course
that is of interest to them A search message,
specifying keywords... The system responds...
Following selection of a suitable course, the
initial Structured Personal Statement is
prepared... Locate personal data
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Proposed Repository SUM
Business Facing
Service Facing
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MAMS Federated Identity
National Identity and Authentication
Infrastructure Documenting the federation.
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How it is being used

• Work in progress (Wiki)
• Research
• Research Journal SUM
• ARCHER SUM
• Australian National Grid SUM
• MAMS National Grid SUM
• Storage Resource Broker (SRB) SUM
• gLite Data Management (EGEE) SUM
• Learning
• R2Q2 SUM
• SPAID SUM
• ResponseProcessing SUM
• CamTools Sakai SUM
• Learning Object Repository Network (LORN) SUM
• Flowtalk SUM

• Library
• FRED Repository Federation SUM
• ASK SUM
• USQ ePrints Repository SUM
• Administration
• Student Transfer SUM
• Early Notification SUM
• Identity and Access Management SUM
• Common SUMs
• Australian MAMS SUM (Shibboleth)
• FRED Authenticated Harvest SUM
• OpenID SUM
• MAMS OpenID Provider SUM
• Persistent Identifier Linking Infrastructure
  (PILIN) SUM

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Producers view

• Content makes the e-Framework useful!
• e-Framework gives your project or infrastructure
  visibility
• So, we want Australian projects to contribute
• Whats your projects fit with the e-Framework?
• Modelling a problem space Service oriented
  Standards based Interesting ICT infrastructure
• Where interoperability is a requirement

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Consumers view

• What can I get from the e-Framework
• The knowledge base
• Components Service Genre, Expression, SUMs
• Exposure to practitioners, the technologies, the
  issues

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Organisations view

• Focus on funded infrastructure building
• use to understand, to map, to plan
• exchange information with others
• reuse build on existing projects,
  infrastructure
• Well documented proposals, well documented
  outputs
• Have you thought about interop, standards, and
  reuse of existing effort from start?
• How do others interoperate with what youve
  built?

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• Acknowledging its value, I strongly argue that
  the recommendations of the Research Report
  Interoperability Standards Across the Australian
  Education Training Sector (AICTEC, August
  2007) be adopted. If adopted, it follows that
  the e-Framework is a core enabling resource and
  must receive ongoing funding support by the
  Australian Government and States.
• Chris Blackall, APSR

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Contributing

• http//www.e-framework.org
• Documentation, templates, instructions
• e-Framework Community Wiki
• https//e-framework.usq.edu.au/users/wiki/
• In use by contributors
• See whats happening
• Contribute, Comment
• Contact the editors
• editor_at_e-framework.org

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• For more information
• Contact editor_at_e-framework.org
• Newsletter http//www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/E-FRA
  MEWORK.html
• This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
  Attribution-ShareAlike-2.5 Australia Licence.