Newsline from EDINA
March 2004: Volume 9, Issue 1
The use of digital certificates as a means of authenticating individuals is becoming more widely accepted, and is a specific requirement of many services in the Grid. At present, the UK e-Science programme operates a Certification Authority (CA) designed as a relatively low-volume service for a modest number of researchers, based on open-source CA software.
It is likely that the e-Science framework will be expanded to include other communities, such as the social sciences and bio-informatics, and will require the capability to issue certificates on a much larger scale.
EDINA recently completed a project, TIES, to investigate and implement a pilot Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for Higher and Further Education (see articles in Newsline issues 8.2 and 7.4). A second study has been commissioned to follow up recommendations made in the TIES report. This study, TIES II, will investigate the feasibility of a national certificate issuing service.
The main focus of the original TIES project was the implementation of CAs based on the use of open-source, or out-of-the-box (bundled) software. One broad conclusion was that the open-source solution was insufficiently mature to provide a reliable and cost-effective service in the institutional context.
TIES II will therefore evaluate commercial PKI products to determine the relative costs and effectiveness of in-sourced (software only), or out-sourced (fully managed service) solutions, to help the JISC plan practical options for a longer-term CA service that is capable of satisfying the certification requirements of the extended e-Science community.
For more information about the TIES II project please contact Christine Rees, Project Manager, christine.rees@ed.ac.uk or Sandy Shaw, Technical Manager, sandy.shaw@ed.ac.uk, or visit the TIES II web site.