Re: [seul-edu] SIF's Zone Integration Server(

[Eric Sandeen <sandeen@jump.net>]

No, it handles the XML traffic between the clients (performs cacheing
and authentication, etc.)

From the spec:
=====
Zone Architecture
Although there are many variations of SIF topographies, the common
feature is that a number of applications wish to share data. All SIF
implementations regardless of their complexity consist of one or more
applications with their associated interface agents all being managed by
a Zone Integration Server (ZIS).

<snip>

Applications rely on their agent to exchange data using a predefined
data model. [XML - Eric]  Agents then communicate with other agents
using the ZIS as a routing resource. The ZIS also provides access
control so the customer can control what applications have access to
what SIF data.

<snip>

The Zone Integration Server is the central integration point for all the
agents in a zone. The ZIS must support all the messages that are
specified in the SIF Message Specification. Depending on the message
type, ZIS either saves information in the messages that it receives or
forwards the messages to an appropriate agent or zone. 

<snip>

The ZIS implementer is free to internally manage registration and access
permissions information in any form that the implementer supports. In
order to provide an example of how an administration system may be
structured, this document describes a database consisting of Providers,
Subscribers, Agents, and Access Control.
=====

SIF seems to use XML more as a language to use between clients, rather
than as a storage format, although it could probably be used for
either.  It looks like they intend to allow the clients to use whatever
file format they want, with an "agent" that speaks SIF-XML to send and
receive data.

-Eric

Doug Loss wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 05 Jan 2000, Eric Sandeen wrote:
> 
> > One of the features of their system is a "Zone Integration Server" (ZIS)
> > which manages messages and requests to and from the various
> > SIF-compatible clients attached to it (gradebooks, rosters, report card
> > programs, etc.)
> >
> So it's some sort of central XML database?  Or a front end to MSSQL or Access
> or something?
> 
> > The interesting thing is that the C++ source is available, and the
> > license is actually fairly liberal.  Liberal enough, I think, that a
> > port to Linux would be within the terms of the license.
> > (http://www.microsoft.com/education/partneropp/eula.asp)
> >
> > I'll admit right now that I don't have the necessary programming chops,
> > but I'm wondering how hard it would be to port this to a Linux/MySQL
> > environment - that'd be a heck of a press release for the SEUL-Edu
> > group.
> >
> I'll try to take a look at it and see if Stephen Quam (one of our members who's
> pretty good at database work) would like to consider the challenge.  It'd
> certainly twist Micros~1's nose if we did it!