Grouper Developers Forum

[Jessica Bibbee <>]

MACE-Dir-Groups Conference Call
January 11, 2006 

*Participants*
Tom Barton, U. Chicago (chair)
Blair Christensen, U. Chicago
John-Paul Robinson, UAB
Brendan Bellina, USC
Joy Veronneau, U. Cornell
Gary Brown, U. Bristol
RL "Bob" Morgan, U. Washington
Ann West, EDUCAUSE/Internet2
Steve Olshansky, Internet2
Jessica Bibbee, Internet2 (scribe)

New *Action Items*
[AI] {Bob and Tom} will write requirements for xml import/export design.

*Discussion*
The dates for the Signet/Grouper Early Adopters Deployment workshop have been finalized as March 20-22. The workshop is intended to be a collaborative learning session. More information will follow as it is available, and invitations will be sent to those interested in attending the installfest.  

The Group discussed design, coordination, and integration issues for Grouper v1.0 and v1.1. {Blair} said that Hibernate 3.0 will likely be in the picture, but currently, it is not an immediate priority.

Group math is not yet finalized, and {Blair} is working on making it more efficient. Currently, effective membership is located in a different spot within the database; group math will potentially track the memberships that need to be updated. Additive group memberships could be problematic. {Bob} raised a concern regarding the timing related to the security evaluation. 

The Group discussed the subtleties of XML export/import features, how to add functionality, and what a feasible timeline is for the level of work yet to be done. Use cases would help to clarify and define the design process. [AI] {Bob and Tom} will write requirements for xml import/export design.

Aging of groups is another issue that needs to be addressed – groups might fall into one of several default states: active, grace, final. There should be an established process for deleting out-of-use groups. Sites could choose to keep the default settings, or replace with their own group status. {Joy} suggested three categories of aging for groups that would interest Cornell: those defined by a (start and) end date, those meeting a specified period of no activity, and those set to never expire. 

The next Grouper WG call will be held on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 12pm ET.