This document provides guidelines for administering and configuring the Portal Application Framework, or PAF, for ATG Portal. The PAF serves as a structure for a series of customized Internet communities. Using the PAF you can create communities of users, joined by purpose or common interest. The PAF can provide these communities with specialized portals. Each portal can be customized for content, appearance, and functionality, on both the community and individual level. For more technical information intended for Java programmers, see the ATG Portal Development Guide.

The PAF provides two Web-based administration user interfaces: the Portal Administration, which system administrators can use to manage the portal and its communities as a whole, and the Community Administration, which community leaders can use to manage individual communities in the portal.

Access to Portals is controlled by a series of security measures based on community roles. A visitor’s role within a community determines that person’s ability to view content, interact with other users, and customize the appearance and content of the portal page.