Overview SPIRE project: Looking at the feasibility of P2P in UK higher education Focused on Penn States open source P2P system ‘LionShare’ which is a heavily modified version of the ‘Limewire’ project (released version 1.0 end of Sept 05) Major difference between normal P2P and LionShare is the inclusion of Authentication and Authorisation P2P and Authentication +Authorisation is a complex mix

LionShare Features • Authentication and Authorization • Directory Integration • Verification of Sharer’s Identity • Access Control • Network File Storage and Sharing • Automated Metadata • Image Preview • Federated Repository Search • User Profile • Support for Multiple Metadata Schemas • Creative Commons Licensing

Protocols Uses Gnutella for P2P Uses HTTP to move files Can search over repositories using ECL or OKI OSID Chat via Jabber Has bespoke protocol with SASL-CA

Main Ingredients for LionShare The peer on your desktop (client and a server) SASL-CA server (to provide the peer with network certificates) Directory service (LDAP or Active Directory (with Eduperson)) Network Security (Kerberos) Shibboleth 1.3 (to control access to files)

Three Pronged Approach Active Directory based install controlled by TALL for early adopter community (broken) Install linked into Oxford Universities central LDAP (finished) Install linked to the SDSS text Shibboleth federation (ongoing) Next Step Build simple version into Reload

LionShare in Reload

Informal to Formal: Tools Within repositories: P2P, Wikis, Blogs Description of specific technologies or a mode of use? Technologies that can be contributed to… Informal: Wiki Blogs P2P Flickr My Space Del.ic.ious Formal: Dspace E-prints VLEs Institutional Websites

Informal to Formal: Features You won’t have to talk to a lawyer Often ‘on the web’ Open remit, no heavily prescriptive ideology Not assessed Not ‘officially’ published Casual approach to rights Collaboration is key (content is written ‘into’ the tool) Often a social network Formal: You might have to talk to a lawyer You may have to be a member of an institution Maybe assessed Clear ideology / structure Collaboration is often indirect (holds objects) Provided by employer ‘Secure’ Could be used for publication

Informal to Formal: LionShare Mapped Informal and ‘open’ philosophy Not used for formal publication Not assessed Formal: Institutional sign-in Can restrict access to selected objects Not highly collaborative (indirect) Provided by employer Conscientious about rights

Informal to Formal: Publication Cycle RepoMMan project Can these ideas be mapped against this principle?

Implications Institutions should encourage the use of informal repositories Institutions should suggest a path (workflow) from informal to formal repositories without attempting to own the informal element Once paths have been established issues of interoperability should be tackled Institutions should not necessarily attempt to ‘own’ informal repositories Institutions should find ways of building informal repository use into assessed / reward outcomes? The data on informal repositories is relatively transient

Project Site http://spire.conted.ox.ac.uk david.white@conted.ox.ac.uk http://lionshare.its.psu.edu/main/