BookWare, Inc. – Repository Submission System Solution Proposal
CHAPTER 13
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS
AND
SOLUTION DETERMINATION
REPOSITORY SUBMISSION SYSTEM
Prepared for:
BOOKWARE, INC.
250 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
Prepared by:
T.B.F.I. Ltd.
2560 Kingston Rd.
Scarborough, Ontario
M1M 1L8
November 28, 2001
December 4, 2001 2 Chapter 3 Proposal.doc
BookWare, Inc. – Repository Submission System Solution Proposal
CHANGE HISTORY
Revision# / Date / Changes / Comments
December 3, 2001 T.B.F.I. Ltd.
2
BookWare, Inc. – Repository Submission System Solution Proposal
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1.0 OVERVIEW 4
1.1 OBJECTIVES 4
1.2 IMPLEMENTATION MANAGEMENT 4
2.0 AREAS TO BE ADDRESSED 5
2.1 HARDWARE 5
2.2 SOFTWARE 5
2.3 ORGANIZATION 5
3.0 SOLUTION 7
4.0 SUMMARY 14
5.0 APPENDIX A 15
6.0 APPENDIX B 16
1.0 OVERVIEW
This Proposal is a solution for the sole replacement and improvement of the existing systems. At this time the existing system is a two tiered client server system with most of the system residing on the client. BookWare Inc. has become a Wall Street sensation in the field of electronic books. BookWare Inc. specializes in the production of hardware and content for electronic books on a global scale. This solution is designed to make sure they stay a sensation and not just a fad on Wall Street.
The single major problem that will be addressed is their existing infrastructure. This includes both system and business. Both will have to be re-engineered to some degree.
The existing system is based on a two-tiered architecture that is not giving them what they need. The question of scalability, future maintenance and the new solutions extensibility will also be addressed.
1.2 Objectives
The objective of this proposal is to have a complete and integrated solution that can be implemented given the constraints of the company. The main objectives are as follows:
§ A solution that will allow the company to grow to its full potential.
§ A solution that is scaled to the needs of the company.
§ A higher level of system availability.
§ Provide a high level of over-all Security.
§ An Increase in the current performance levels
§ A properly maintained system.
§ A solution that will grow in functionality with the growing needs of the company.
1.3 Implementation Management
Please note that Gary Gauthier is the Implementation Manager for this project. He will ensure that the project is successfully implemented. He will be responsible, during the implementation, for any decisions for the back out of the changes if required. These decisions will be based upon the recommendations of the project team.
This will be a one-phase implementation. The implementation will be the fully robust solution that will address all existing and future concerns.
2.0 AREAS TO BE ADDRESSED
In this phase we will be concentrating on creating an infrastructure to solve the short term problem of not having the proper inventory available to the consumers. The following areas must be addressed whether it is with upgrades to existing items or new items.
2.1 HARDWARE
1. Upgrade existing Operating Systems on PC’s to Windows 2000.
2. Designate one PC as a system administrator’s PC and install Windows 2000 Advanced Server on it.
3. Purchase a Web Server. (See Appendix A for server specifications)
2.2 SOFTWARE
1. Setup the new server as a Windows NT or Windows 2000 server.
2. Install Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) on the new server.
3. Install Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) on the new server.
4. Purchase an encryption RSA software. For more information on encryption see the cryptology web site at: http://tbfi.hypermart.net.
5. Upgrade existing IT software to Microsoft Visual Studio Enterprise.
6. Purchase of Microsoft’s Systems Management Server (SMS).
2.3 ORGANIZATION
1. Hire a full-time Senior Systems/Security Administrator with a background in Microsoft networking, systems and security.
2. Creation of the basic business and Security rules that will be applied toward all transactions that will flow thru the new infrastructure.
3. Boot passwords are to be placed on all laptops and they must follow the new business rules also.
4. A comprehensive training program will be created and put in place for the in-house training of all staff as to the new security systems, new applications and new hardware.
5. For speed in the development and implementation there will be a need to contract out most of the work. However the need for full-time staff to be involved thru out the entire project is of up-most importance. When the total solution is in place the knowledge base must reside in-house for proper ongoing maintenance to occur.
6. All code for all systems will be written using Visual Basic as components using Microsoft’s Enterprise technology. All database queries will be written using TSQL and any web-based applications will written using DHTML and ASP.
7. An integrated Repository Submission System will be written and implemented using Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM).
8. Because the system availability will now need to be 100% the maintenance procedures will need to be scheduled around the clock.
9. A variety of senior IS and Business people should also be on-call in order to cover any problems that may occur with the production system. These people should also have remote access with a system generated password that changes after it has been used, and must be given out by the System/Security Administrator.
3.0 SOLUTION
1. The following illustration shows the communication model that will be used for BookWare Inc.
Illustration 1.0
This illustration shows communication between in the combined Internet/Corporate three-tier client/server solution. The following features will be included in this Enterprise Development Strategy:
•Internet computing
An Enterprise solution that exploits the communication capabilities of the Internet, while providing end users with the flexibility and control of client-computer applications and technologies. For example, ActiveX controls are COM components that you can insert into a Web page or other application to reuse packaged functionality that has been previously developed. Scriptlets are Web pages based on DHTML (Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language) that you can use as a control in any application that supports controls. Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) web server software, utilizing HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to deliver World Wide Web documents. It incorporates various functions for security, allows for CGI programs, and also provides for Gopher and FTP services will be used as the communication software between the Internet and the new server.
•Interoperability
Develop new applications that work with existing applications and extend those applications with new functionality.
•True integration
Deploying scalable and manageable distributed applications with key capabilities such as security, management, transaction monitoring, component services, and directory services. Products and technologies such as SQL, MTS, Windows NT, and DCOM provide these services.
•Lower cost of ownership
Develop applications that are easier to deploy and manage, and easier to change and evolve over time.
•Faster development time
Achieve all of the above using an integrated set of development tools.
2. The best communication solution is a Request/Response Asynchronous Communication model. This will allow the transferring of data both from and to the end users and also lend itself to system extensibility without need for modification.
- With the hardware and software installed as in illustration 1.0 we will create a secure three-tiered infrastructure that will be used in all aspects of the total solution. To deal with security concerns the new infrastructure will use a combination of new business rules, Windows NT authentication mechanisms, MTS security, SQL Server Database security and IIS security. Because there will be an external way of accessing the companies databases the risk is higher and proper security must be put in place. The new business rules will be instituted for all passwords. Some will be as follows:
· Each password must be 8 characters long.
· Each password must contain a minimum of 2 numeric characters.
· No password cannot start with a number.
· No password can have numbers together.
· Each password will be valid for only a period of 30 days.
· You cannot use the same password within a 12 month period.
The new System/Security Administrator will be auditing the network on a regular basis. All transactions that are done over the Internet are to be encrypted before sending and decrypted at the receiving end via the new encryption software (RSA). Overall security will be a mixed format using IIS and NT authentication mechanisms being passed to the middle tier where MTS security packages will be set up. All business logic will be separated and placed into the middle tier (MTS). Users will not have direct access to the database from their application. Instead, they access the components running in MTS. The MTS components then access the database by first accessing the database security and if allowed perform updates or retrievals on behalf of the users. By doing this we split security into two types (illustration 1.1).
Illustration 1.1
The first type is application security. Application security involves authorizing users for access to the application code, or MTS packages. You implement application security in the middle tier by using MTS. The second type is data security. This involves authorizing the various MTS packages for access to the database. You implement data security in the data services tier by its security software. The illustration 1.2 shows how security works in a three-tier application. Application security involves authorizing users access to specific components and interfaces in MTS packages, limiting their capabilities. Thus, you map users to the application functionality that applies to them. Audit reports will be written and sent to the System/Security Administrator via email daily and a real time watch dog system will also be put in place to detect security breaches as soon as they occur.
Illustration 1.2
4. All new clients will be set up in the following manner and using some of the above security. The illustration 1.3 shows the two-tiered model that will be used to create a thin client machine for all new authors. Once a contract had been signed between the author and BookWare Inc. the author would be asked to make sure he had an operating system such as Windows NT or a Windows 2000 version. When this is done the author would be given a web site address, a logon ID and Password.
Illustration 1.3
The illustrations 1.4 and 1.5 show the screens that will be used in this portion of the solution. The author using his Internet browser will go to the site located at the address that was given to him. This site is located on BookWare Inc.’s new web server.
Illustration 1.4
He will enter the logon ID and Password into the first screen (illustration 1.4) and if verified as being correct it will send him to the second screen (illustration 1.5).
Illustration 1.5
He will then select the language he works in and the download software package that corresponds to his operating system. The download package will consist of all client software for the main system. Once the software is downloaded the password will automatically become inactive. Because the authors will be working on their own machines, when an authors contract is over he will be asked to sign in one last time to fill out a “End of Contract” form so we can process his last pay cheque. When he signs in SMS will do a maintenance update to the client side logon screen component to deactivate it. After this is done if he tries to logon again the message “You no longer have the clearance to access this system” will be displayed and the program will end. By doing this we reduce the risk of unauthorized people gaining access to the system thru our own software.
5. Due to time zone differences the system will now become available 24 hours a day.
6. Because of the use of Component technology all application updates can be implemented without a need for a maintenance interruption of services.
7. This overall approach of this solution should prove to be a less expense solution as proven out by recent studies. These have shown as much as 30–40 percent of corporate IT budgets for application development is targeted at developing the application infrastructure. The use of MTS reduces those costs because it provides centralized, multi-user functionality. The following illustration 1.6 shows how the solution will look when completed. It will be a three-tier client/server architecture with the addition of MTS as the application infrastructure.
Illustration 1.6
8. This solution Architecture also allows for future expansion to include web-based applications for e-commerce without the need to change the existing infrastructure.
9. For the distribution and maintenance of the application systems Microsoft’s Systems Management Server (SMS) will be used. SMS writes modifications directly to the target computer. It allows you to automate the following:
· Update a large number of computers requiring maintenance upgrades.
· Update multiple pieces of software required in upgrade.
· Allows fairly simple, repetitive tasks like those found in upgrades to be done.
· It has reliable network connectivity.
· It uses limited human technical resources.
· Works best in a Homogeneous, Microsoft-based computing environment.
10. The system will be configured to update the computers as soon as they are booted up. The servers can be updated at anytime.
11. As mentioned earlier the main application system will be an integrated Repository Submission System. To clear up some of the existing problems we will be doing the following:
· Changing the indexing on the database will decrease the size of the re-indexing that must be done.
· The re-indexing will also be done on a daily basis instead of a monthly. By doing this will speed up the job due to the small amount of indexes that need to be re-indexed.