[LON-CAPA-cvs] cvs: loncom /html/adm/help/tex Domain_Coordination_Overview.tex

[raeburn]

raeburn		Mon Jul 28 09:49:58 2008 EDT

  Added files:                 
    /loncom/html/adm/help/tex	Domain_Coordination_Overview.tex 
  Log:
  - Introduction to Domain Coordination Manual
  
  

Index: loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Domain_Coordination_Overview.tex
+++ loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Domain_Coordination_Overview.tex
\label{Domain_Coordination_Ovrwview}
The Domain Coordination Manual includes both a description of tasks
which require standard LON-CAPA interaction via a web browser , with
the Domain Coordinator role active, but also tasks which require command
line access to the primary library server in a domain. In some cases
one individual may complete boththese types of task, whereas in others
a separate Systems Administrator may need to be called upon for tasks
completed from the command line.

With the Domain Coordinator role active, the Main Menu provides a
Domain Coordinator with access to the functionality needed to complete
the routine tasks which a Domain Coordinator carries out, including
creation of courses and assignment of course coordinator and author
roles. Courses can be created interactively by completing a web form,
or can be created in batch mode by uploading a file containing course
specifications for one or more courses. Addition of users/roles can
similarly be carried out interactively, or by uploading a text file
of users. The Domain Coordinator may also periodically need to modify
domain settings via the Domain Configuration menu. 

LON-CAPA provides hooks to permit integration with institutional information
systems to support the following procedures:

\begin{itemize}
\item Authentication via an institutional authntication service (e.g., LDAP)
\item Automatic updates of classlists
\item Automatic updates of user information
\item Retrieval of institutional user information for individual users
\item Searches for users at the institution
\item Automatic import of student photos from an institutional repository
\end{itemize}
There are two perl modules included in LON-CAPA (localauth.pm and
localenroll.pm) which need to be customized to provide the integration
with institutional systems. Although customization and testing will
involve a systems administrator, and programmer(s) at an institution,
a Domain Coordinator is likely to be involved in the design and testing
phases of the integration, if not in the actual implementation. Set-up
of a standalone LON-CAPA instance on a separate server is advised
for the purposes of implementing and testing institutional integration,
before enabling the new functionality on the production system.

Besides the integration described above, at present customization
of localenroll.pm is also needed to define user populations used at
an institution (e.g., Faculty, Staff, Students), and also to define
official course categories (e.g., Year, Semester, Department, Number)
which can be used as filters when searching the Course Catalog.