1. Hyper-Active Directories: Adding Intelligence & Automation to Network Directories with Amber Paul Gardner-Stephen, Tim Seeley, Murray Rogers Computing Services Group, School of Informatics & Engineering, Flinders University

2. Outline What is Amber, and what can it do? Fly through three examples of using Amber Summary Future Directions

3. Motivation Account Provision –We have an existing and effective system. –But changing behaviour is difficult: C is not a good language for expressing business logic. Change code, recompile, regression test … Interoperability with central administration The more we develop Amber, the more potential applications we can see.

4. Who Can Make Use of Amber? Any business with processes and procedures! –Job tracking / Help Desk –Scheduling events (e.g. testing or auditing regimes) –Resource allocation – human or physical –Risk management / Expert Systems / Decision making –Transfer of data from one system to another –[On-line] registration activities –Verifying existing business information … If you can explain a business process, you can probably implement it with Amber.

5. Who Can Make Use of Amber? This means Amber is useful to: –Technical Managers –Administrators –Computing and Other Support Groups –OH&S Officers, Committees and Related Structures

6. What is Amber? Information Management System –Read data, consider implications, update data according to administrator defined directives Information Visualisation and Interaction System, with built in web server –Display selected information to users, and allow them to modify data, according to administrator defined directives The Tools to Take an Information Centric Approach to Business & Business Processes

7. What Can Amber Do? Keep Network Directory Contents Consistent –Consistency against user supplied rules –User account provision falls into this category: Account existence & status are consequences of the application of rules! –Resolve inconsistent situations

8. What Can Amber Do? Continuously Synchronise Dis-Similar Network Information Repositories –Amber uses an internal representation, and can convert to and from other formats: abstraction –Perform intelligent synchronisation, according to administrator defined directives. Continuously Apply Network Policies –i.e. synchronise network information with the real world, e.g. disk quotas

9. What Can Amber Do? Manage Business Processes and Procedures –e.g. track process state, solicit approvals, record decisions. –Intelligently Direct Processes according to available information If you can explain a business process, you can probably implement it with Amber.

10. Example 1: Account Provision Can describe the process: –If enrolled in a topic in this school, grant an account in this school. –Disk quota is sum of quota allocations for topics in this school. All required information is available, e.g. from HR/Student Services.

11. Example 1: Account Provision Information is accessible –Active Directory: Uses LDAP for accounts –UNIX: Uses NIS, or maybe LDAP for accounts –Student Information: Uses LDAP but in multiple incompatible formats: –We can see how to translate between the formats - but our computers cannot. If we can describe how to do this, we can get Amber to do it for us! Automate AD accounts, group policies etc...

12. Example 1: Account Provision Describe Rules:  topic(TOPIC,LOCATION), enrolment(STUDENT,TOPIC), _eq(LOCATION,”this department”) -> interesting_enrolment(STUDENT,TOPIC).  interesting_enrolment(STUDENT,_) -> account_entitlement(STUDENT).  interesting_enrolment(STUDENT,TOPIC), topic_quota(STUDENT,TOPIC,QUOTA) -> student_quota(STUDENT,$+QUOTA).

13. Example 1: Account Provision Hook into the network: –associate topic(T,L) with “ldap://ldapserver/(objectClass=topic)”. –associate enrolment(S,T) with “ldap://ldapserver/(objectClass=enrolment)”. –associate account_entitlement(S) with “ldap://ldapserver/(objectClass=posixUser)”. –associate student_quota(S,Q) with “diskquota://fileserver/home1”. Rules will now keep network consistent!

14. Example 2: Procedure Management e.g. Electrical Safety Testing Management –All electrical goods require regular testing. –Interval of testing varies. –What item(s) will need testing soon? –Recording test histories

15. Example 2: Procedure Management

16. Describe Rules: test_record(NAME,DATE) -> latest_test_record(NAME,$>DATE). elec_item(NAME,FREQ), latest_test_record(NAME,LAST_TEST), _lessthan(LAST_TEST+FREQ,TODAY+30) -> test_soon(NAME). elec_item(NAME,FREQ), latest_test_record(NAME,LAST_TEST), _lessthan(LAST_TEST+FREQ,TODAY) -> test_yesterday(NAME).

17. Example 2: Procedure Management Hook into the network: –associate test_soon with “odbc://someserver/elecdb” –associate test_yesterday with “mailto://elecmanager@ourplace.com.zz” –associate test_record(N,D) with “odbc://someserver/elecdb” –or: associate test_record(N,D) with “file:///test_records.txt”

18. Example 2: Procedure Management

19. Create Web Interface: echo The following need testing NOW: render test_yesterday(_) %prefix %body $FIELD1$ %missing Nothing needs testing soon. %suffix %end render

20. Example 2: Procedure Management

21. Define form to accept re-test notification: render current_date(_) %prefix %body Item $ARG1$: Back to list %missing %suffix %end render

22. Example 2: Procedure Management

23. Define form to record new test date: assert test_record(ARG1,ARG2) echo Test date for $ARG1$ has been recorded form elecdb()

24. Example 2: Procedure Management Functional example with web interfaces, data input and management defined in only 41 lines of code!

25. Example 2: Procedure Management Can now incrementally enhance while remaining online, e.g: –Add more interfaces (e.g. recent test history, revoke test, recently tested equipment, add new items) –Add authentication –Beautify existing interfaces –Modify rules to provide a different escalation policy The strength of Amber is in its flexibility!

26. Example 3: Video Database 11:30am – Corridor conversation about postgres to mysql database migration on linux. 12:09pm – Working Amber application. Runs in < 2MB Less dependencies no apache/php/mysql.

27. Summary Amber combines the flexibility and functions necessary to support and build many types of on-line business process: If you can describe it, Amber can probably be made to do it. Amber’s intelligence makes interoperability easy. Amber reduces complexity: no separate DB, web and scripting language dependencies. Plus, fast and easy to set up, maintain and enhance.

28. Where To Now? We are seeking potential users to prove the paradigm in the field –We would be interested in hearing from you if you think Amber might be able to help you. We are seeking potential commercial partners to help bring Amber to market.