This mildly technical presentation will consist of two parts: 1. A discussion of how UC Irvine's ZotPortal (based on uPortal) was integrated with the COBOL-based legacy campus course enrollment system to show students their course schedules in a new way. Also covered: how ZotPortal shows the students their required book lists by interfacing with the campus book store's web site. 2. The ZotPortal hardware architecture: how we are preparing for power and network outages by distributing our system across the campus.

1. ZotPortal:
Integrating Legacy Systems and
Planning for the Worst Case
Erik A. Olsson
erik.olsson@uci.edu

2. University of California, Irvine
In between San Diego
and Los Angeles
30,000 students
Founded 1965
Jasig member
institution (every year)

3. Agenda

4. Agenda
Some history

5. Agenda
Some history
“Selling” the Prototype

6. Agenda
Some history
“Selling” the Prototype
Connecting the silos

7. Agenda
Some history
“Selling” the Prototype
Connecting the silos
Preparing for the worst-case

8. Agenda
Some history
“Selling” the Prototype
Connecting the silos
Preparing for the worst-case
Plans for the future

9. Agenda
Some history
“Selling” the Prototype
Connecting the silos
Preparing for the worst-case
Plans for the future
Q&A

10. A Quick History

11. A Quick History
Staff Portal - uPortal
based (2001)

12. A Quick History
Staff Portal - uPortal
based (2001)
Started many times

13. A Quick History
Staff Portal - uPortal
based (2001)
Started many times
Student Portal
committee (2005)

14. A Quick History
Staff Portal - uPortal
based (2001)
Started many times
Student Portal
committee (2005)
2006 FTE hired

15. A Quick History
Staff Portal - uPortal
based (2001)
Started many times
Student Portal
committee (2005)
2006 FTE hired
Early 2007 first prototype

16. A Quick History
Staff Portal - uPortal
based (2001)
Started many times
Student Portal
committee (2005)
2006 FTE hired
Early 2007 first prototype
Based on MyVT branch

19. “Selling” the Prototype

20. “Selling” the Prototype
The traveling road-show

21. “Selling” the Prototype
The traveling road-show
50+ presentations: libraries, academic departments,
student groups, managers, chancellor

22. “Selling” the Prototype
The traveling road-show
50+ presentations: libraries, academic departments,
student groups, managers, chancellor
Input from many stakeholders

23. “Selling” the Prototype
The traveling road-show
50+ presentations: libraries, academic departments,
student groups, managers, chancellor
Input from many stakeholders
Identified the requirements

24. “Selling” the Prototype
The traveling road-show
50+ presentations: libraries, academic departments,
student groups, managers, chancellor
Input from many stakeholders
Identified the requirements
Wiki

25. Prototype to Reality

26. Prototype to Reality
Approval to proceed

27. Prototype to Reality
Approval to proceed
Decide on a version
2.5.3 → 2.6.1 → 3.0.1

28. Prototype to Reality
Approval to proceed
Decide on a version
2.5.3 → 2.6.1 → 3.0.1
ALM → DLM

29. Prototype to Reality
Approval to proceed
Decide on a version
2.5.3 → 2.6.1 → 3.0.1
ALM → DLM
Table-based → DIV-
based

30. Prototype to Reality
Approval to proceed
Decide on a version
2.5.3 → 2.6.1 → 3.0.1
ALM → DLM
Table-based → DIV-
based
Something to use a
development base

33. Usability

34. Usability
Followed User-Centered Design (UCD) principles
Made personas, user stories, etc

35. Usability
Followed User-Centered Design (UCD) principles
Made personas, user stories, etc
Mock-ups in Illustrator

36. Usability
Followed User-Centered Design (UCD) principles
Made personas, user stories, etc
Mock-ups in Illustrator
When you have something to test, test it (with
incentives)

37. Usability
Followed User-Centered Design (UCD) principles
Made personas, user stories, etc
Mock-ups in Illustrator
When you have something to test, test it (with
incentives)
Discovered several problems

38. Usability

39. Usability
Too light

40. Usability
Too light
Too
similar

41. Usability
Too light
Too
similar
Hard
to see

42. Test Results

43. Test Results
Studies & survey results

44. Test Results
Studies & survey results
Students want: course enrollment, course
management system (EEE), financial aid, bookstore,
admissions & “fun stuff.”

45. Test Results
Studies & survey results
Students want: course enrollment, course
management system (EEE), financial aid, bookstore,
admissions & “fun stuff.”
UI problems mostly fixed by uPortal 3 release

46. Connecting the Silos

47. Connecting the Silos
Admissions Financial
Books
Course
Management Registrar

48. Connecting the Silos

49. Connecting the Silos
Difficulties
Disparate standards

50. Connecting the Silos
Difficulties
Disparate standards
Disparate skill sets

51. Connecting the Silos
Difficulties
Disparate standards
Disparate skill sets
Willingness to participate

52. Connecting the Silos
Difficulties
Disparate standards
Disparate skill sets
Willingness to participate
Availability

53. Approaches

54. Approaches
1.Authenticated RSS/XML

55. Approaches
1.Authenticated RSS/XML
2.IP-restricted script with parameters (or web proxy)

56. Approaches
1.Authenticated RSS/XML
2.IP-restricted script with parameters (or web proxy)
3.Authenticated Screen Scraping

57. Approaches
1.Authenticated RSS/XML
2.IP-restricted script with parameters (or web proxy)
3.Authenticated Screen Scraping
4.Web-services SOAP/WSDL

58. Approaches
1.Authenticated RSS/XML
2.IP-restricted script with parameters (or web proxy)
3.Authenticated Screen Scraping
4.Web-services SOAP/WSDL
Avoided:
Direct database

59. Approach 1: RSS/XML
User
RSS
Silo’d App
XSLT
uPortal

60. Approach 1: RSS/XML
User
RSS Auth Cookie
Silo’d App
XSLT
uPortal

61. Approach 1: RSS/XML
User
RSS Auth Cookie
Silo’d App
XSLT
uPortal Determines
validity of
cookie

62. Approach 1: RSS/XML
User
RSS Auth Cookie
RSS Silo’d App
XML
XSLT
uPortal Determines
validity of
cookie

63. Approach 1: RSS/XML
Used for:
“My Admissions Application” channel
“MyEEE Tasks” channel (course management)
Work involved:
Install XSLT file, setup channel,
Small portlet, pull in the RSS

64. Approach 2: IP-restr. script
User
JSR-168
Silo’d App
uPortal

65. Approach 2: IP-restr. script
User
?id=jstudent
JSR-168
Silo’d App
uPortal

66. Approach 2: IP-restr. script
User
?id=jstudent
JSR-168
Silo’d App
uPortal
Checks
against list of
portal IPs

67. Approach 2: IP-restr. script
User
?id=jstudent
JSR-168
Silo’d App
Simple XML
uPortal
Checks
against list of
portal IPs

68. Approach 2: IP-restr. script
Used for:
“My Housing” portlet
Needed “campus_id”
Work involved:
Create simple portlet to fetch & parse simple
response codes

69. Appr. 3: Auth. Screen Scrape
User
Silo’d
Web Page
uPortal

70. Appr. 3: Auth. Screen Scrape
User
JSR-168
Silo’d
Web Page
uPortal

71. Appr. 3: Auth. Screen Scrape
Normal Web
Proxy
User Request
JSR-168
Auth C
ookie
Silo’d
Web Page
uPortal
Determines
validity of
cookie

72. Appr. 3: Auth. Screen Scrape
Normal Web
Proxy
User Request
JSR-168
Auth C
ookie
Unmarshal
Silo’d
View Transform
Web Page
uPortal Clean
Determines
Massage validity of
Response cookie

73. Appr. 3: Auth. Screen Scrape
Used for:
Library portlet
Fetching bookstore books
Why bother?
Department uses vendor product with bad HTML
Want to show less than whole page and rewrite
significantly (otherwise WPP works)

74. Approach 4: Web-service
User
JSR-168 Spring-WS +
WS-Security Silo’d DB
Web Service
uPortal

75. Approach 4: Web-service
User Signs with
x509 cert
JSR-168 Spring-WS +
WS-Security Silo’d DB
Web Service
uPortal

76. Approach 4: Web-service
Verifies x509
User Signs with cert signed by
x509 cert custom CA
JSR-168 Spring-WS +
WS-Security Silo’d DB
Web Service
uPortal

77. Approach 4: Web-service
Verifies x509
User Signs with cert signed by
x509 cert custom CA
JSR-168 Spring-WS +
WS-Security Silo’d DB
Web Service
uPortal
Reverse-
engineered
Hibernate

78. Approach 4: Web-service
Verifies x509
User Signs with cert signed by
x509 cert custom CA
JSR-168 Spring-WS +
WS-Security Silo’d DB
Web Service
uPortal
Encrypts
with portlet’s Reverse-
public key engineered
Hibernate

79. Approach 4: Web-service

80. Approach 4: Web-service
No early progress

81. Approach 4: Web-service
No early progress
Gained DB access, basic schema docs

82. Approach 4: Web-service
No early progress
Gained DB access, basic schema docs
Hibernate “rev-eng” ant scripts

83. Approach 4: Web-service
No early progress
Gained DB access, basic schema docs
Hibernate “rev-eng” ant scripts
Design XSD

84. Approach 4: Web-service
No early progress
Gained DB access, basic schema docs
Hibernate “rev-eng” ant scripts
Design XSD
Implement service and deliver to department

85. Approach 4: Web-service
No early progress
Gained DB access, basic schema docs
Hibernate “rev-eng” ant scripts
Design XSD
Implement service and deliver to department
Other departments now using

86. Approach 4: Web-service
No early progress
Gained DB access, basic schema docs
Hibernate “rev-eng” ant scripts
Design XSD
Implement service and deliver to department
Other departments now using
Demo of this portlet

87. My Courses (demo)

88. My Courses (demo)

89. My Courses (demo)

90. My Courses (demo)

91. My Courses (demo)

92. My Courses (demo)

93. My Courses (demo)

94. Preparing for the Worst Case

95. Preparing for the Worst Case
Your
Datacenter

96. Requirements

97. Requirements
Potential combined traffic of Staff Portal & Course
Management System (EEE)

98. Requirements
Potential combined traffic of Staff Portal & Course
Management System (EEE)
Full redundancy

99. Requirements
Potential combined traffic of Staff Portal & Course
Management System (EEE)
Full redundancy
Extremely low cost

100. Requirements
Potential combined traffic of Staff Portal & Course
Management System (EEE)
Full redundancy
Extremely low cost
Need:
Load balancer/app switch (redundant)
Reliable hardware (redundant)
Redundant data centers

101. Products Considered

102. Products Considered
Barracuda, very cheap, light-duty, not scalable

103. Products Considered
Barracuda, very cheap, light-duty, not scalable
F5, easy to use, very expensive & not scalable

104. Products Considered
Barracuda, very cheap, light-duty, not scalable
F5, easy to use, very expensive & not scalable
Cisco, cheap & scalable, difficult to use

105. Normal Operation

107. portal.uci.edu

108. SSL
portal.uci.edu

109. SSL SSL
portal.uci.edu

110. SSL
portal.uci.edu

111. SSL portal.uci.edu

112. SSL
portal.uci.edu

113. SSL
portal.uci.edu SESS
1-1

114. SSL
portal.uci.edu SESS
1-1

115. SSL
portal.uci.edu SESS

116. portal.uci.edu SESS

118. portal.uci.edu

119. SSL
portal.uci.edu

120. SSL SSL
portal.uci.edu

121. SSL
portal.uci.edu

122. SSL portal.uci.edu

123. SSL
portal.uci.edu

124. SSL
portal.uci.edu SESS
2-3

125. SSL
portal.uci.edu SESS
2-3

126. SSL
portal.uci.edu SESS
2-3

127. SSL
portal.uci.edu SESS

128. portal.uci.edu SESS

129. Disaster 1
Berkeley Place goes down
Secondary location
100% uptime maintained

131. portal.uci.edu

132. SSL
portal.uci.edu

133. SSL
portal.uci.edu

134. SSL portal.uci.edu

135. SSL
portal.uci.edu
1-3

136. SSL
portal.uci.edu
1-3

137. SSL
portal.uci.edu

138. portal.uci.edu

139. Disaster 1 (BP) Considerations
Primaries are still up
When BP comes back up,
primaries unaffected
No manual intervention required
100% uptime

140. Disaster 2
Worst Case
ADC (Engineering Gateway) goes down
Primaries go down

142. portal.uci.edu

143. SSL
portal.uci.edu

144. SSL
portal.uci.edu

145. portal.uci.edu SSL

146. SSL
portal.uci.edu
2-3

147. SSL
portal.uci.edu
2-3

148. DB
SSL
portal.uci.edu
2-3

149. SSL
portal.uci.edu
Manual
Configuration
Rewrite 2-3

150. SSL
portal.uci.edu
Manual
Configuration
Rewrite 2-3

151. SSL
portal.uci.edu
Manual
Configuration
Rewrite

152. portal.uci.edu
Manual
Configuration
Rewrite

153. Disaster 2 (ADC) Considerations
Secondaries are now primaries
Manual DB configuration change
Depends on human response time
Requires manual configuration change
once ADC is back up

154. Future Improvements

155. Future Improvements
Send DB traffic through App Switches
No manual configuration changes required
Protection against primary taking over
automatically when restored

156. Future Improvements
Send DB traffic through App Switches
No manual configuration changes required
Protection against primary taking over
automatically when restored
App switch supports multiple contexts

157. Since We Launched

158. Since We Launched
Hardware failure on secondary server
Not noticed
App switch worked

159. Since We Launched
Hardware failure on secondary server
Not noticed
App switch worked
Kernel panic in secondary server’s primary domain
Killed networking
uPortal instances lost network connectivity
App switched worked

160. Questions?
Erik A. Olsson
erik.olsson@uci.edu