[11259] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Patron Authentication-Response
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Wed Apr 30 20:04:28 1997
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 11:28:43 -0500
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
2 Messages, 75 Lines
*-----
From: bnielsen@merle.acns.nwu.edu (Brian Nielsen)
Subject: Re: Patron Authentication/Restricted Electronic Resources
A proxy server will take care of this. Northwestern has done this; take a
look at http://www.library.nwu.edu/help/proxy/
Brian Nielsen
Brian Nielsen, Ph.D.
Manager, Learning Technologies Group
Academic Technologies
Northwestern University
2129 N. Campus Drive
Evanston, IL 60208-2850
phone: 847 491-2170 fax: 847 491-3824
internet:b-nielsen@nwu.edu
http://www.nwu.edu/people/b-nielsen>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> We would like to find out what other sites are doing regarding patron
authenti-
> cation. Our situation at Temple is as follows. We are providing numerous elec-
> tronic journals and databases via our Web page. Now our users want to access
> these resources from home and the university has set up PPP access which au-
> thenticates our users and allows them entry into these licensed databases.
How-
> ever those users with their own internet providers want to use this rather
than
> Temple's PPP access, thus avoiding long distance charges. Has anyone set up
> mechanisms where users can use their own ISP's and still be authenticated in
> some fashion so that those authorized are provided access? However, we
> do not want to get into the business of handing out accounts/passwords, etc.
> and handling each user on an individual basis. Thanks for any ideas that you
> might have for us. I would be happy to summarize for list should I receive
> some interesting responses.
>
> | MONICA KULASKI VOICE: (215) 204-5519 |
> | HEAD, LIBRARY SYSTEMS OFFICE FAX: (215) 204-5201 |
> | TEMPLE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES EMAIL: V2038A@VM.TEMPLE.EDU |
> | PHILADELPHIA, PA 19122 KULASKI@ASTRO.OCIS.TEMPLE.EDU |
*-----
From: Sue Martin <SKMARTIN@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu>
Subject: Re: Patron Authentication/Restricted Electronic Resources
Georgetown is struggling with the same issue, with a slight
difference. Rather than setting up PPP access into university
resources, the university has contracted with an outside firm to
provide access for faculty and students to the Internet for all
off-campus access. The IP addressing is dynamic, and is not
authenticated.
We have been working with the computing center on a solution. The
current proposal on the table is to establish a proxy server to
allow people to come into the university from off-campus, be
authenticated, and then gain access to the licensed resources.
However, this alternative does not come cheaply, so no decision
has yet been made.
Also, Novell has a Radius server in beta test, which would allow
authentication of information found in Georgetown's NDS tree. It
sounds promising, but we haven't worked through all the issues yet.
Not to mention that it IS still just in beta testing.
We found it difficult to convince the computing center that we were
not able to simply persuade publishers of electronic data bases to use
a mechanism other than IP address to define a user community. I think
they now understand, and I'm looking forward to an early solution. I
also would like to hear what others have done.
Sue Martin
University Librarian
Georgetown University
