The Grouper Toolkit, part of the MACE-Internet2 Middleware Initiative, functions as the core element of a common infrastructure for group and access management information across integrated applications and repositories. Grouper combines multiple sources of group information, both automated and manual, in managing memberships and other group information in a Groups Registry, a central information asset complementary to a site's Person Registry.
Grouper is one of the projects led by the Middleware Architecture Committee for Education (MACE). The Internet2 Middleware Initiative comprises a number of open/community source projects that address challenges in the middleware space, such as identity and access management.
Project Context
Partnering with the Internet2 Middleware Initiative since 1998, MACE consists of a group of U.S. and international higher-education IT architects. The group was formed to investigate the creation of a national interoperable identity and access management infrastructure for the U.S. research and education community that would fit into a global context. To do this, MACE developed an interoperable identity and access management architecture model and worked to provide functionality important to higher education but missing from the marketplace or open source offerings.
To facilitate the consolidated management of groups for the enterprise, the Grouper project grew out of the MACE-Directories Working Group and the realization that more flexibility was needed in managing groups than the functions provided by LDAP directories.
Grouper Trademark Guidelines and Style guide
For information on using the Grouper trademark, see the Trademark Guidelines and Styleguide.
World-wide Partnerships
The Grouper Project has been supported by generous national and international partners since the beginning. The Grouper Project has received funding and development resources from Internet2, the University of Chicago, the University of Bristol, the National Science Foundation, and JISC.
Project Members
The Grouper core development team includes:
- Tom Barton, University of Chicago (project lead)
- Gary Brown, University of Bristol (UK)
- Chris Hyzer, University of Pennsylvania
- Shilen Patel, Duke University
- Tom Zeller, Unicon
- Emily Eisbruch, Steve Olshansky, Ann West, Dean Woodbeck (Internet2 staff support)
To learn more about the Grouper Development Group and participate on the calls, see the project wiki.
Acknowledgements
Development of the Grouper Toolkit was supported with funding from University of Chicago and the University of Bristol with additional support from Internet2 through their NSF Middleware Initiative (Cooperative Agreements No. OCI-0330626, OCI-0721896, and OCI-1032468) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).
