Executive Summary
Human Resources
Development Canada's Labour Operations Applications Development branch
manages and maintains nine different web sites. This is not an easy task
considering the time consuming menial tasks it involves. However, there
is a way to deploy a system that will automate many of these commonly
experienced tasks with putting new web sites on the Internet, Once this
system is setup, it can result in a relief of responsibility for
repetitive jobs, allowing the system administrator to perform their job
with increased efficiency. The purpose of this report is to throw light
on the mechanics involved in working of such a system.
Web Object Management is
run on the Internet accessible to the-perspective users regardless of
their geographical location. The users have almost all the control over
the management of its web sites. They can perform the regular creation
and editing operations on their web pages, while the system
administrator has to only perform the regular management of the server
and users do the bulk of the work.
Web Object Management
will make the web management process more efficient, error frees, and
organized.
Introduction
Managing the integrity
of an Internet web site is a key issue for companies and organizations
allowing their users remote access to their web-sites for developing and
exchanging business critical contents and software. These users are
usually of a versatile background with variance in their geographical
location, Internet publishing skills and needs. The problem is to
provide them with a user-friendly interface where they can perform their
tasks in an efficient manner.
This problem is solved
by an application called Web Object Management (WOM) that allows
centralized control on the World Wide Web by automating as much of the
web management process as safely possible. Once in place, hopefully this
system relieves the system administrator of responsibility for menial
tasks, allowing them to perform their jobs with increased efficiency.
A WOM provides the means
to publish, modify, and administer the contents of a web site. The
framework for this process is controlled by allowing password access to
the sensitive areas of the web-site. Each user group is given a password
that allows access to only those areas (web documents) that belong to
that group. One central person in charge of WOM controls the assignment
of passwords, addition and deletion of user groups, and general trouble
shooting.
Analysis:
Current
Situation:
Human
Resources Development Canada's (HRDC) Labour Operations Applications
Development (LOAD) maintains nine different web sites for each one of
Labour Operations' directorates. It falls under the responsibility of
LOAD to manage and maintain these web sites. Presently, these nine
directorates give
LOAD
the documents (in electronic or typed form) they need published. But the
management and maintenance poses many issues that need consideration.
Technical
Overview:
Perhaps
the most important issue is the status indication of each file in the
system. It is imperative to have answers to questions like whether a
document is on the live web site or not, if so, when was it sent or
modified, did it get fully authorized, if it did who authorized it, if
not then why, are the appropriate backups made, do the necessary *meta
tags" exist, etc. Without the answers to these questions it is
hopeless to offer the best service possible to our
users.
The
second issue is the user groups, what are their needs, and how should
these needs be met? The more control they have over their web site
the more accurate the information is likely to be. This means fewer
headaches for the LOAD staff.
The
third issue is associated with the manipulation of meta tag data in each
document. How do we, add, update or delete meta tags?
Is it possible to automatically check the validity of these tags and
update the search engines' databases as new documents/information is
added to the web sites?
The
last issue deals with the databases. The number of them we need for all
the operations to be performed, the transfer of files among them,
screening of certain data (such as LOAD meta tags) in these files before
their transfer to the live web site.
The
nine Labour Operations web sites are stored on two servers: Info and
lnfo2. Info is the live web server while lnfo2 is the developmental
server and currently underdevelopment to handle the Intranet. These two
servers comprise the Labour Operations' whole Internet/lntranet domain
under the management of LOAD.
The
nine web sites under Labour Operations are:
The
WOM wilt reside and function on info2. All the web development,
processing and testing will also take place on info2 (the Intranet).
Info and Info2 will both be connected to the World Wide Web. The only
difference being that Info2 will allow password access only. The
passwords will be distributed only to the user groups and will be kept
under confidential use.
Behind
the Scenes:
Group users can log in
to their project area from anywhere on the web by going to a specific
log in page on load's web-site.
Once logged in they are presented with a graphic interface showing
directory/file structure of their project area. Here they are able to
view, create, add, delete, update, and upload web documents with the
click of a button.
After
a document is been created its contents must be approved by the
appropriate authorities for correctness. Once approved it is given the
approved status otherwise it is kept until it is approved. A graphical
icon may indicate its unapproved status. The approved documents must be
transferred to Info, the live server.
The WOM automatically scans through the database, every night, looking
for those documents that are authorized for submission to the
live-server.
The Internet, Intranet
and developmental web sites are maintained and managed by the system
administrator who is approachable by the users in case of help. System
administrator handles any changes to the live web sites, and controls
the access usernames and passwords.
Advantages:
The
big benefit would of course be to cut down on load's
work by shifting the magnitude of the work to the respective
directorates. Since the system would now have a structural organization
and most of the information transfer would be electronic, errors,
delays, and chances of miscommunication would be less frequent. This all
will lead to a greater efficiency and better service to the nine
directorates and public.
Conclusion:
Web
Object Management system can solve Labour Operations Applications
Development's web site management problem by automating most of its web
publishing operation. Such a system is run on the Internet with
restricted access controlled by usernames and passwords. The users can
log in from their computer through the Internet and use the available
web publishing tools such as creating, deleting, updating, and
publishing to manage their Internet files. The system administrator
manages the servers. The use of Web Object Management will make web
publishing more efficient, errors free and organized.
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*META
Tags are put inside HTML documents to give information about themselves
without it being displayed by a browser (Netscape, MS Internet Explorer,
etc). These META Tags contain information such as: keywords, a brief
description of the documents and important dates in the file's life
(when it was created, when it was published etc). META Tags are
important for Search Engines that use the tags to describe the document
in their data base. |
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