## Revised Client Architecture
+(Note that an alternative proposal is under discussion in the mailing list thread starting at <https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=MOONSHOT-COMMUNITY;bb2718c3.1112>)
-The architecture of the initial implementation needs to be re-factored to with give better Model, View, Controller separation, allowing for:
+The architecture of the initial implementation needs to be re-factored to give better Model, View, Controller separation, allowing for:
- more ways of interacting with the server than the ID Selector App and Web Provisioning;
- different storage strategies;
The re-factored Moonshot Client software will have the following components:
-*_identity-server_* shared library offering C and Vala APIs.
+*_identity-manager-app_* a GUI application allowing the User to manage identities which are provisioned on the client machine using the APIs provided by:
-- provides Create / Read / Update / Delete functionality for Identities
-- is the only means of accessing the _identity-storage-server_
-- includes the server functionality initially implemented in UI
+*_identity-manager-ui-lib_* a shared library offering C and Vala Create / Read / Update / Delete APIs allowing applications to manage the identities which are provisioned on the client machine while interacting with the User.
-*_identity-storage-server_* encapsulates the Identity Store in a shared library offering a CRUD API to access the store.
+*_identity-manager-lib_* a shared library offering C and Vala Create / Read / Update / Delete APIs allowing applications to manage the identities which are provisioned on the client machine *without* interacting with the User. It is the only means of accessing the _identity-storage-server_.
-- protects the store from multiple concurrent write accesses
-- re-implemented per platform and per storage strategy so
+*_identity-storage-server_* encapsulates the Identity Store in a library offering a CRUD API which _identity-manager-lib_ uses to access the store.
- * one version each for Linux, Mac OS and Windows, local storage. DBus provides an appropriate mechanism under Linux and Mac OSX for protecting the store from multiple concurrent write access. It is not supported on Windows, so the Windows implementation will use a different mechanism. This version will re-use storage-related code from src/moonshot-window.vala etc.
- * one version for web storage, restful API. (Not in scope for this iteration).
- * other versions as required for different storage solutions (Not in scope for this iteration).
+*_identity-provisioning_* - not implemented in the initial implementation. Provides CRUD operations via files and via the command line. Implemented in portable code as far as possible. Uses _identity-manager-lib_ and *_identity-manager-ui-lib_*. Consists of:
-*_identity-provisioning_* - not implemented in the initial implementation. Provides CRUD operations via (for now) .msht and XML files, and via command line. Implemented in portable code as far as possible. Uses *_identity-server_*. Consists of
+- *_identity-provisioning-file-handler_* - processes .msht (and, in future iterations, json, and maybe other format) files for file-based provisioning operations. .msht is an an XML-based file format. The MIME type is 'application/moonshot+xml'. An association is created on install so that these files are automatically opened by _identity-provisioning-file-handler_ when clicked. Currently implemented as *_moonshot-webp_*, allowing only install access. In future iterations it will also allow uninstall/revoke access.
-- *_identity-provisioning-file-handler_* - processes .msht (and, in future iterations, XML and/or json, and maybe other format) files for file-based provisioning operations. Currently implemented as *_moonshot-webp_*, allowing only install access. In future iterations it will also allow uninstall/revoke access.
- *_identity-provisioning-cli-handler_* - provides a command line API to identity CRUD functions
All of the components will be implemented in Vala.
-### Detail _identity-server_ component
+### Detail _identity-manager-app_ component
+This app uses the APIS provided by _identity-manager-ui-lib_ to provide a UI allowing the User to manage their stored identities.
+
+### Detail _identity-manager-ui-lib_ component
Implemented as a shared library in Vala. Built with the -H option to enable access from C code, and introspection generated to allow use from other languages.
-Replaces the _libmoonshot_ component from the initial implementation.
+Provides APIs which can be used by _identity-manager-app_, by _identity-provisioning_ components needing to interact with the user, and other applications which need to interact with the user in selecting the identity they will use to access an internet service. These are the APIs provided by _libmoonshot_ in the initial implementation.
+
+It *uses* APIs provided by _identity-manager-lib_ to access the Identity store.
+
+Implemented in Vala using GTK widgets, reusing code from src/moonshot-window.vala and other UI related code..
+
+### Detail _identity-manager-lib_ component
+
+Implemented as a shared library in Vala. Built with the -H option to enable access from C code, and introspection generated to allow use from other languages.
Owns the public APIs for accessing the Identity Store (rather than, as in the initial implementation, exposing the APIs provided via DBus by _moonshot-ui_).
-Provides new APIs needed by identity-selector-ui to manage identities (e.g. CreateNewIdCard(), UpdateIdCard(), DeleteIdCard()) as well as the existing APIs provided in the initial implementation by _lib-moonshot_ (getIdentity(), GetDefaultIdentity(), InstallId_card()).
+Provides equivalent APIs to those provided by _identity-manager-ui-lib_ (and in the initial implementation by _lib-moonshot_) but with no UI. It is used
+
+- by _identity-manager-ui-lib_ ;
+- by other applications to obtain the identities they need to access internet services *without interacting with the user*;
+- by _identity-provisioning_ components to provision identities *without interacting with the user*.
+
+Provides new APIs needed by _identity-manager-ui-lib_ and _identity-provisioning_ components, to manage identities (e.g. CreateNewIdCard(), UpdateIdCard(), DeleteIdCard()).
Uses the APIs provided by the *_identity-storage-server_* component (_-dbus-local-storage-server_ on Linux and Mac, _-windows-local-storage-server_ on Windows).
It has no UI, so that it can be used in circumstances where interaction with a user is not possible (e.g. in headless servers). Any needed interaction with the User is done by client software.
-
-### Detail _identity-selector-ui_ component
-This is now just an App for managing Identities. It's *only* function is to allows a User to manage Identities and Services.
+**Implementation Note:** In this architectural view, _identity-manager-ui-lib_ and _identity-manager-lib_ have distinct roles. They could therefore be implemented as separate libraries, but it is probably better to combine them in a single library. In my view this would have advantages both for those implementing and for those using the software.
-It no longer owns the Identity Store.
-_
-It no longer *provides* the APIs (using DBus) that were used in the initial implementation by other components via _libmoonshot.
+### Detail _identity-storage-server_ component
+- is accessed directly *only* by _identity-manager-lib_.
+- protects the store from multiple concurrent write accesses.
+- re-implemented per platform and per storage strategy so:
-Instead, it *uses* APIs provided by _identity-server_.
+ * one version each for Linux, Mac OS and Windows, local storage. DBus provides an appropriate mechanism under Linux (and possibly Mac OS X) for protecting the store from multiple concurrent write access. DBus is not supported on Windows, so the Windows implementation will use a different mechanism. This version will re-use storage-related code from src/moonshot-window.vala etc. The Mac implementation will either use DBus, or it will use the Mac OS X Keychain to store identities (see mailing list thread beginning [here](https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=ind1112&L=MOONSHOT-COMMUNITY&F=&S=&X=2C162240A9A66326F2&P=3272)).
+ * one version for web storage, restful API. (Not in scope for this iteration).
+ * other versions as required for different storage solutions (Not in scope for this iteration).
-Implemented in Vala using GTK widgets, reusing code from src/moonshot-window.vala and other UI related code..
### Detail _identity-provisioning_ component
projects / devwiki.git / blobdiff