Workspaces: concept

Basically it is a private/group-shared cloud storage for researchers. Requirements:

• easy to use, should ideally integrate closely with the operating system
• CLARIN server-side applications should be able to access it (for reading and writing, if the owner allows)
• if/when offered as a production service:
  • should come with a clear statement about availability
  • should come with clear legal terms of reference (to prevent abuse/illegal actions/liability for the hoster)

Evaluation of proposed software:

• EUDAT is investigating this for their ​B2Drop service. At the recent EUDAT meeting (SAF, Feb 2014) OwnCloud? was mentioned as a probable candidate, but this was not yet the final decision.

web-based access

This is the easy case: use SAML. There are (tested) plugins for OwnCloud?.

non web-based access

some possible solutions:

• Radius (like for eduroam), see e.g. plugin for ​powerfolder as used at GWDG and plugin for ​OwnCloud. Outstanding issues:
  • will it work (as well as eduroam)?
  • is it allowed to use eduroam credentials for this?
• ​Moonshot (based on radius but with own client software). Experimental; status needs to be checked with the Moonshot team (which is very communicative: Rhys Smith and John Chapman).
• LDAP (restricted to just 1 Identity Provider) > tested successfully for CLARIN-D OwnCloud. Outstanding issues:
  • linking with web-based access (match LDAP user ID to SAML attribute like ePPN)
  • risk that people only use CLARIN IdP as it offers more functionality than their own Identity Provider

experiences

OwnCloud

​OwnCloud seems to be a good package, has been tested in CLARIN-D (installed on a server at ​FZJ)

A SAML plugin is also available:

• ​http://www.yaco.es/blog/en/uniquid/2012/06/implementado-plugin-saml-para-owncloud/
• ​https://gitorious.org/owncloud/apps/trees/master/user_saml

Challenge is to access it from web services/applications. To do so, a SAML-to-OAuth2 bridge might be needed