1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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

6. LionShare in Reload

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

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

11. 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

12. Project Site