Virtual Member Manager integration
IBM WebSphere Application Server includes the Virtual Member Manager (VMM), which IBM WebSphere Portal uses to access user and group information. VMM provides an interface that enables communication between WebSphere Portal and any repository, whether federated repositories, a stand-alone repository, or own custom user registry.
The Virtual Member Manager (VMM) is an abstract component within the WAS infrastructure. As the following diagram illustrates, WebSphere Portal uses the Portal User Management Architecture (PUMA) System Programming Interface (SPI) to retrieve and set attributes on user objects. PUMA passes these requests to VMM, which then passes the requests on to a corresponding registry adaptor that connects VMM to the repository.
The preceding diagram includes the following components:
Federated Repositories
- An out-of-box implementation of the UserRegistry interface that supports multiple repositories. To communicate with the federated repositories, both WAS and WebSphere Portal dispatch all operations to VMM.
Stand-alone LDAP
- An out-of-box implementation of the UserRegistry interface where a single LDAP directory is the repository. WAS communicates directly with the stand-alone LDAP. WebSphere Portal communicates with the stand-alone LDAP through VMM.
VMM SPI
- VMM offers a Service Provider Interface (SPI), wim.Repository, that enables communication with repositories. WAS uses this SPI to connect to federated repositories. WebSphere Portal uses this SPI to connect to all repositories, whether federated or stand-alone.
User Registry Adaptor
- An implementation of the VMM SPI that enables VMM to connect to a specific repository, whether an LDAP directory, database, files, or other repository. Registry adaptors enable communication between WebSphere Portal and any repository.
You must create a user registry adaptor to use a custom user registry or repository that WebSphere Portal does not support out-of-box. To create a user registry adaptor, implement the wim.Repository interface. Refer to the following topics in the WAS Information Center for information and instructions:
- Repository SPI (System programming interfaces for virtual member manager adapters)
Sample custom adapters for federated repositories examples
Parent
User registry considerationsRelated tasks
Set up custom user repositories
Webcast replay of WebSphere Portal WMM to VMM comparison
Set up a custom user repository with Virtual Member Manager for IBM WAS and IBM WebSphere Portal
WAS 7.0 Information Center, VMM API
WAS 7.0 Information Center, Sample custom adapters for federated repositories examples