Transcript Diapositiva 1

Middleware Activities
A Proposal for The Coming Years
Diego R. Lopez, RedIRIS
(on behalf of ECAM)
Bruges, May 2008
JRES2005, Marseille
Where We Are
• Two tasks forces finishing their terms in
September 2008
• TF-Mobility
 eduroam-NG, metering, other mobile technologies,
sensor networks
• TF-EMC2
 TACAR, campus issues, directories, diagnostics,
federation coordination and Grid liaison
• EuroCAMPs
 Dissemination and technology updates
• And ECAM
 Providing guidelines and coordinating activities
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
Achievements
• eduroam
 Well beyond our borders
• RadSec
 Driving industry trends
• TACAR
 First stakes in the Grid camp
• SCS
 Almost universal service
• SCHAC
 Bologna and more
• REFEDS gatherings
 Re-focusing federation interoperation
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
And Focus Problems
• Too narrow in TF-Mobility
 Most development work has moved to GN2
 Need to find new topics to concentrate on
• Too wide in TF-EMC2
 Lots of topics to discuss in meetings
 Insufficient time for in-depth discussion
 And even more activities wanting consideration
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
Middleware Is Cool
• The base for any network service
 Vendors are already aware of it
 And we have made good connections with them
• A way for innovation at reasonable costs
 Software intensive
 Open source implementations are common place
• The core for inter-institutional collaboration
 Bologna is the word
 Liaisons with other bodies: EUNIS
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
But We Need to Focus
• Middleware has a too wide meaning
• Depending on the community
 And where the community feels the stuff is
 Middleware is the layer connecting the stuff to the rest
of the world in a seamless manner
• Our stuff is academic and research networking
 But the definition above is still too wide
 And perceived needs must be dealt first
• Let’s concentrate on
 Enhancing current achievements
 Widen their application areas
 Explore demanding aspects
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
Proposed Course of Action
• Continue with two TFs, re-focusing them
 And making a better share of interests
• Concentrated on
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Collaborative service definition and deployment
Exploratory pilots
Standards and best practices
Coordination
• National activities
• Beyond the NREN community
• Beyond Trans-European limits
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
Two New Middleware TFs
• With interest areas assigned across the protocol stack
• One focused on middleware related to network services
 Going beyond mobility technologies
• One focused on infrastructure services
 Specifically, on identity-related ones
 Both for the network and the application layers
• Coordinated by ECAM
• And continuing with other activities
 EuroCAMPs
 Grid-NRENs connections
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
Across the Stack
• Bottom layer of the
application
The Application
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PKI
Directories and schemas
{Con-, inter-}federation
Reputation
The Middleware
• Top layer of the network
The Network
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
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Mobility
Network access
Endpoint assessment
Provider integration
TF on Network Middleware
• Mobility issues
 Beyond and around eduroam
• Network access in general
 802.1x on everything
• NEA
 The other side of TNC
• Control planes
 Connection with NGN activities
• Collaboration with providers
 The 3G use case
• ...
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
TF on Identity Infrastructure
• PKI
 TACAR and SCS
• Schemas
 Making SCHAC grow
• Directories
 Steps towards semantics
• Federations, confederations, inter-federations
 Including the third ‘A’?
• Reputation systems
 Starting with e-mail applications
• ...
TAC. Bruges, May 2008
To Conclude
• Middleware activities have made relevant
achievements
 But need a re-focus
• Essentially, keeps things going
 If it works, don’t touch it
• But redefine goals and areas
 Well, touch it a little to keep it working
TAC. Bruges, May 2008