OK. I give up. What's the answer?

[bethlakshmi]

Here's the question:

Windows Authorization Manager (AzMan for short) - does it do anything beside manage RBAC (role-based access control) for .NET and IIS URLs? Like... say for other webservers or non-.NET application services.


Some not-all-that-tech-savy guy in another project in my company suggests that it can be linked to Apache to do RBAC on Apache URLs. Given what I'm reading, he's smoking something wacky. But I can't find a really credible, really obvious quote saying one way or the other. I have a Windows 2003 server staged, and ready to install Apache, Tomcat or whatever - but see no reason to given I can't find a way to link the two together.

But, why are you using a crappy Microsoft product, Lakshmi? (you ask) You seemed like such a nice person. Why be part of the evil empire? Resist the dark side of the force. Not my fault, man. This is a polictical thing - the big, sexy project is using it, so my little, less sexy project is trying to either use it, or justify why it's totally impossible to use it. Yes, I'm very well aware of all the totally useful, very neato, other RBAC for web services products that would integrate much more nicely in a Java-based web services environment.

Sorry this post is in no way related to either my life, India, the SCA or performing arts - or even an interesting rant about stupid people. I'm getting desperate on this problem, and leaving no stone unturned.

Comments

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

if you really, really, really wanted to do this you could route all the URLs through IIS and create an IIS filter to intercept them and redirect to where they are really supposed to go. And then you could use AzMan on the IIS side. Think of a Dark Side version of mod_jk.

I disavow any knowledge of what I just said :).

lovely weather out, isn't it?

[(Anonymous)]

You have out geeked me. You win. I should know this stuff but work is still in dark ages of plain asp.

Oh and um isn't the weather hot today. Will u be teaching any Really Slow Indian Dance For Incoordinated Wimps classes at pennsic also?

Flyinglemurs

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

Yes... I feel dirty just talking about this, I will go home now and wash my brain out with soap.

Thank you for the thoughts, though.

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

No "should" about it. The more I read, the more I think that what management wants is downright weird. And Authorization Manager is downright new for most - it came out with 2003. I just happen to be in the forefront of stuff these days. I hadn't heard about it until my boss says "so... this is the New Plan, see if it's possible".

But... underneath this happy, fluffy white-woman-who-thinks-she's-Indian exterior, I'm secretly a black leather trench coat wearing digital security geek. Trenchcoat provided by new_man.

I won't run a "really slow" class, as the kamikaze class of doom "energetic class" is taking up all my prep time. But I'd be glad to do an impromptu class at some point, if I am offered a time, place to teach, 1 student, and a glass of cold beverage. :)

Conclusion

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

For now... I have won the battle. No... it wasn't me v. management on Microsoft. But it was me trying to get a screwdriver to turn a srew, not a wrench. Yes - both things turn bolts that attach large parts - but you can't really mix and match most of the time.

So... we get to use the original plan - a product of our selection, used for our purposes.

The tiny gnat shakes it's little fist at the giant empire in triumph.

Re: Conclusion

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that you won.

However, in case it ever comes up again, just today I noticed that there is a Jakarta connector between IIS and Tomcat so you don't have to write your own (http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/connectors-doc/howto/iis.html)

perverse but true. Now I will forget.