NCT WEBCONTENT

Web Content Management with Lotus Domino: 

Web Content Management with Lotus Domino Andrew Pollack Northern Collaborative Technologies http://www.thenorth.com Proud member of The Penumbra Group http://www.penumbragroup.com

What We'll Cover: 

What We'll Cover Choosing Domino for Web content Supporting multiple languages Securing a Domino application Exploring an actual content management system

Publish or Perish: 

Publish or Perish Check back weekly for new content! Last updated July 3, 1998 Content draws users, graphics don't Well, at least not business graphics Web designers know code, not content

How is a Web Page Like a Wedding Invitation?: 

How is a Web Page Like a Wedding Invitation? You want just a few lines of simple content You pay an expert to produce it It takes two weeks to see the result The expert never gets it right the first time Can I have that in Kanji?

Power to The People: 

Power to The People The content owner is the best author Its their audience Its their interest area Its usually their language Its their budget If you give them control of the page It will be what they want You can focus on other things

Summary: Top 5 Reasons To Let Content Owners Publish: 

Summary: Top 5 Reasons To Let Content Owners Publish They need it today Budget? What budget? "Just a little more to the left..." Don't have any web developers who speak Cantonese Otherwise, you have to do it yourself

Where Domino Fits : 

Where Domino Fits Front ends and back ends and middleware, Oh my! Domino, WebSphere, and DB2 -- who does what? What scale really means

Front ends: 

Front ends Interaction with the user Great for holding information Not so good for storing data Lotus Domino, Apache

Back ends: 

Back ends Great for holding lots of data Not so good for storing information IBM DB2, Oracle, SQL Server Lotus Domino

Middleware: 

Middleware Ties the front end to the back end Contains business and security logic Puts the Bop, in the Bop-Shu-bop adds dynamic data Servlets, JSP's Lotus Domino forms and agents

The 100% Domino Model: 

The 100% Domino Model Big Happy Domino Server

Domino, WebSphere, & DB2 - The J2EE Model: 

Domino, WebSphere, & DB2 - The J2EE Model

Domino is design: 

Domino is design From concept to creation -- rapid development It's a flexible container -- a great place for your stuff Authentication and authorization are built in

DB2 is transactional data: 

DB2 is transactional data Price lists Parts inventory Financial data Multi-phase commit

WebSphere is Middleware: 

WebSphere is Middleware Connects Domino's design to DB2's data Thousands of transactions per second

What Scale Really Means - Data: 

What Scale Really Means - Data How Much Data If you're talking about millions of records its Data. Put it in a relational database. Yes, I know you CAN put millions of documents into a Domino database, but think about the data first Is it content or transactions?

What Scale Really Means - Users: 

What Scale Really Means - Users How Many Users? Web users are like snowflakes One isn't a problem, it's when they gang up They're really cold -- when they get angry

Is it content or transactions?: 

Is it content or transactions? Content is "easy" to serve Transactions are harder Where is the data?

Summary: Where Domino Fits : 

Summary: Where Domino Fits Domino is Design Can also be middleware and/or data storage WebSphere is middleware Great for high volume and transactions DB2 is data storage -- and lots of it If you're talking about millions of anything, its probably data

Domino WANTS to be multilingual: 

Domino WANTS to be multilingual Just turn it on and let it go! Tools like Global Workbench Automatic content translation tools My favorite settings Those that make my customers happy

Domino is multilingual inside!: 

Domino is multilingual inside! ASCII? One byte per character? How 80's of you! That went out with big hair and alligator shirts Speaking Chinese runs in families Language properties are part of the text -- they come from the author So why do you have to do anything? Many languages have several different versions and character sets

Design Tools like Global Workbench: 

Design Tools like Global Workbench These tools are GREAT for design elements Can be hard to retrofit Best if used when creating new applications These tools are not helpful for content translation

Automatic Content Translation Tools: 

Automatic Content Translation Tools The holy grail of content management Not quite there, but getting better Provide users "the gist" of the page Can be useful, but a high cost for imperfect translation Users are still better

My Favorite Language Settings: 

My Favorite Language Settings These are the settings chosen by the content owners at my largest customer...

Securing a Domino Application: 

Securing a Domino Application This is a REALLY BIG topic How secure do you need it? First, protect the operating system Authentication vs. authorization Security vs. obscurity Data security vs. transmission security

How secure do you need it?: 

How secure do you need it? What kind of data is being served? Personal information Medical or financial information Business planning data Competitive information Are there legal requirements? Many kinds of credit, medical, and personal data have specific legal security requirements

First, Protect the Operating System: 

First, Protect the Operating System The OS is the door to everything Get in that door, and the data is open Anything that listens is vulnerable File sharing, printer sharing, universal plug 'n access A quality firewall closes the doors Doesn't let anything talk to what's listening Keep up to date on patches Keep up to date on warnings HTTP://WWW.CERT.ORG

Authentication tells us who you are: 

Authentication tells us who you are Name and password = secret handshake Be careful of who's watching! Trusted certificates = a photo ID Difficult to forge, but frustrating to some users Bio authentication = well, Bio authentication Your thumb should not have value if detached from your hand.

Authorization tells us what you can do: 

Authorization tells us what you can do Access control groups ACL entries -- including roles Reader and author field data types

Security is protected data, even if you know where it is: 

Security is protected data, even if you know where it is Read access fields $ViewTemplateDefault File and directory controls Database ACLs

Obscurity is hidden data: 

Obscurity is hidden data Non-linked pages Hidden views Document indexes Many skilled users DO know how to get this data Even less skilled users will try url hacking to see what's there

Transmission security -- stopping the man in the middle: 

Transmission security -- stopping the man in the middle Make sure the person you're talking to is the only one you're talking to Sniffers can read the packets SSL encrypts the connection Basic authentication without SSL is wide open to the man in the middle

Summary: Securing A Domino Application: 

Summary: Securing A Domino Application First, secure the operating system Build the application carefully Obscurity is not security Use the access control tools Don't forget the 'man in the middle‘

A Real Content Management System: 

A Real Content Management System Automatic layout makes your colors brighter and your whites whiter! Any simple text can look great with the right layout design around it! Never let them see you sweat Don't show users links to pages they don't have access rights to view!

The layout defines the overall look and feel: 

The layout defines the overall look and feel

Store the layout as a header & footer subform and display it on the web: 

Store the layout as a header & footer subform and display it on the web

Add some simple rich text: 

Add some simple rich text

Display it through the layout: 

Display it through the layout

Automating Index Pages: 

Automating Index Pages Index pages provide quick, organized access to content Avoid showing secure links to users without authorization to use them

Here's A Sample Index Page: 

Here's A Sample Index Page

Index pages are heavily coded for optimal design: 

Index pages are heavily coded for optimal design

Link definitions fill in the lookup view: 

Link definitions fill in the lookup view Reader Names fields keep the link from from the view, preventing display for users who cannot access the content

Notes view lookup returns a result: 

Notes view lookup returns a result The view column formula.... Creates html output for each document.... Which gets included right onto the form

Rich Text Rocks for Content Owners: 

Rich Text Rocks for Content Owners Easy to use -- just like mail Supports the content owner's language Flexible and powerful for advanced users Store HTML and Javascript natively Don't forget tools like Midas to create and manage rich text programatically

An Actual Content Management System: 

An Actual Content Management System Screenshots are Taken from live sites

Creating content: 

Creating content

Controlling access: 

Controlling access

Sample Rich Text Based Content: 

Sample Rich Text Based Content

More Rich Text Power: 

More Rich Text Power

Editor Approval Cycles -- That's Old Hat: 

Editor Approval Cycles -- That's Old Hat This is basic workflow Lotus Notes has OWNED this space since it invented the stuff more than 10 years ago To implement workflow in new sites, check out Lotus Workflow 3.x

Your Turn!: 

Your Turn! This presentation at Admin 2002 goes into a few more topics and is more in depth You’re welcome to contact me Andrewp@thenorth.com http://www.thenorth.com I’m also doing “Development Tips & Tricks for Administrators” at Admin 2002 Now its time for Questions & Answers

Questions?: 

Questions? Submit your questions now by clicking on the “Ask A Question” button in the bottom left corner of your presentation screen.