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04-16-07 Update: Project Status

Date: Monday, April 16, 2007 9:04 AM -0400
To: ed.project, fln, acsf, macsig, win2000, unix.admins, and novell.admins
Subject: Enterprise Directory Services Update (4/16/07)

Hello,

The Enterprise Directory Services Project (now called the M-Community Project) is creating a new system for identity management, roles, data sharing and reconciliation, and directory services at the University of Michigan. A new directory system and services will bring together data from multiple institutional sources and will organize, present, and secure the data in a way that is particularly well suited to managing access to University resources.

Implementation of enterprise directory services for U-M is now getting underway. Below is an update on the status of this work, as well as more information about the new directory and related services.

Regards,
-- M-Community Project Core Leads (eds.core.leads@umich.edu)

A Name for the Project and New Directory Services

"M-Community" has been chosen as the name for the University's enterprise directory services. M-Community is the new name of the project and of the services and systems it will produce.

Status

• Data Schema. Finishing a data schema for the directory that lists each piece of data, its attributes, its format, policies concerning its use, and more.
• Analysis and Design. Completing requirements analysis and developing detailed system architecture so that development work can begin.
• Proof of Concept. Completed Proof of Concept of connectivity and data flow between PeopleSoft (M-Pathways) and the new directory system software.
• Hardware. Preparing to purchase hardware for the various directory subsystems and services to run on.
• Preferred Names. Working to implement the display of preferred names in the current U-M Online Directory in conjunction with MAIS's late-April rollout.
• Alpha Testing. Laying the groundwork for alpha testing of the basic directory infrastructure.

What the New Directory and Services Will Mean for U-M

What will enterprise directory services mean for members of the University of Michigan community? We have put some scenarios that begin to answer that question on our web site.
(http://www.itcs.umich.edu/mcommunity/scenarios.php)

Architecture

A simplified diagram of the planned enterprise directory services architecture is now on the web:
(http://www.itcs.umich.edu/mcommunity/architecture/index.php)

Project Teams

The project is now, for the most part, fully staffed. Project teams and members are listed on the web:
(http://www.itcs.umich.edu/mcommunity/contactus.php)

During March, many team members received training in the use of the Novell software they will use to build the directory and related services.

 

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