This chapter describes how you can create and manage partner accounts, network service supplier accounts, and partner groups in Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper application programming interface (API) management platform.
Services Gatekeeper supports and manages accounts for partners, network service suppliers, partner applications, partner groups, and partner managers. Services Gatekeeper oversees all of these accounts and their activities and stores all the data in its database.
This is how the roles operate:
Partner Manager
You create partner manager accounts in Services Gatekeeper. Each partner manager account owner manages a set of partners and partner groups. Partner managers create, approve, manage and delete partner accounts in Partner and API Management Portal.
Partner
A partner account is created when a self-registration request is approved by a partner manager or by Services Gatekeeper (if automatic registration approval is enabled). Alternately, that account could be created by a partner manager using Partner and API Management Portal.
Partners are assigned to partner groups by the associated partner manager.
Partners create applications and manage them under the supervision of the partner manager.
Network Service Supplier
A network service supplier account is created when a self-registration request is approved by a partner manager. Alternately, that account could be created by a partner manager using Partner and API Management Portal. Partner managers approve, manage and delete network service supplier accounts in Partner and API Management Portal.
Network service suppliers are not assigned to any group.
Network service suppliers create interfaces and manage them in Network Service Supplier Portal.
The service accounts operate in the following way:
Partner Applications
Partner applications are created by partner, assigned to partner groups by the associated partner managers who manage all changes to the applications.
Services Gatekeeper assigns a Traffic User account and password for each partner application. The partner who created the application can change the password used by that Traffic User account.
Every application belongs to the specific partner group to which the partner account belongs.
Partner Groups
Partner groups are created and managed by partner managers in Partner and API Management Portal. Services Gatekeeper assigns a specific service level agreement to each partner group.
Services Gatekeeper maintains a default partner group called sysdefault_sp_grp. The default partner group contains a blank service level agreement.
Services Gatekeeper assigns a newly-created partner account to sysdefault_sp_grp. The partner manager must assign a partner to a different partner group before the partner can create an application.
Service Gatekeeper requires valid account user name and passwords before it allows access to Network Service Supplier and Partner Portals. You can apply for an account on the login page of the Network Service Supplier and Partner Portals.
When you complete the registration form Services Gatekeeper stores that registration request temporarily until the request is approved. It displays each registration request it receives as a Partner registration request or Network Supplier registration request task in Partner and API Management Portal. The registration request must be approved in Partner and API Management Portal before the owner of the account can access the respective portal.
After partner managers review of a registration request, Services Gatekeeper sends an email notification to the email address provided in the registration request.
If the registration request is approved, the email notification sent to the partner or network service supplier states that the registration request has been approved. The email recipient can access the respective portal.
If the registration request is denied, the email notification states that the registration request is denied.
The email recipient must resubmit the partner or network service supplier registration request with the correct entries. At this point, the partner or network service supplier may contact you to ascertain the reasons.
You can automate the registration process by customizing the system configuration for the Partner and API Management Portal.
Whether the individual has a partner or network service supplier account, the account data consists of the following information on the owner of the account:
General information, such as the user name, password, first and last name of the account owner, the email address associated with the owner, and a telephone number.
Company data, such as the company name, its URL, street address, city, state or province name, and the country name.
Primary and secondary contact information, such as the first and last name, the email address, a telephone number, and the time when the contact person is available.
When individuals enter requests to become partners or network service suppliers, Service Gatekeeper displays the requests as notifications in your workflow table. Review each request. If:
You approved the request, Services Gatekeeper sends an email notification to the email address on the registration request. It includes the account information with your list of partners and network service supplier accounts it displays on your Partner and API Management Portal.
You denied the request, Services Gatekeeper takes no action. The person who submitted the registration request contacts you offline to resolve any issue with the registration entries.
You can actively create partners accounts by collecting the required information from your partner and creating the account in Partner and API Management Portal. Services Gatekeeper sends an email notification to the email address on the registration request. It includes the account information with your list of partners and network service supplier accounts it displays on your Partner and API Management Portal.
Accounts have the following status in Services Gatekeeper:
registered, indicating that the account needs approval by the partner manager. The individual whose account is in the registered state cannot log in to the associated portal application.
active, indicating that the account has been approved by the partner manager. A partner or network service supplier with an active account can log in to the associated portal and perform his tasks.
You can access a partner or network service supplier account and view the account details, reset the password (if the account is active), or delete the account.
You can access a partner account and assign the partner to a different partner group (if the account is active).
Services Gatekeeper provides a default partner group called sysdefault_sp_grp. By default, when a partner account is activated (that is, the status is active in Services Gatekeeper, the account is assigned to sysdefault_sp_grp, the default partner group.
You can create as many partner groups as you require in Partner and API Management Portal. Partner group names are not case-sensitive and they must be unique. When you create a partner group, enter a unique name, the maximum number of requests per second allotted to the partner group, and the number of requests allowed within the specified number of days for the partner group.
When the account status is active, you can reassign a partner account to a different partner group.
You can update a partner group by adding or removing partners from the group. Additionally, the partner group is modified if you alter the API data associated with the partner group.
When you assign a partner to a different partner group, the service level agreement associated with the current partner group becomes invalid. APIs that are not compatible or covered by the SLA associated with the destination partner group are suspended. Partner and API Management Portal displays a dialog box informing you of all the applications that are affected when the partner account moves to the destination group when the change in partner group assignment could affect the following elements in the service level agreement:
Rate
Quota
Guarantee
Expiration Date
For example, a service provider (partner) currently has an application A that subscribes to an API called "SendSMS" and requires 100 throughput per second (TPS) for that API. However, the new partner group's SLA supports 80 TPS for the API.
The dialog box displays three options from which the partner manage can make the following adjustment:
Expand the SLA to accommodate the requirements of the affected application. In our example case, the SLA for the new group is expanded to support the required 100 throughput per second.
Such an adjustment might result in adding an SLA requirement currently missing in the new partner group's SLA.
Modify the parameters in the current application to fit the new partner group's SLA. In our example case, modify the application to support 80 TPS only.
Such an adjustment might result in deleting the SLA requirement currently missing from the new partner group's SLA.
Cancel the support for the SendSMS API (Cancel the assignment? Partner belongs to the old group?)