Secure, efficient, and effective communication is critical for the multinational Cassini mission to Saturn. Cassini teams share information through the use of internal Web pages. The challenge was to develop dynamic Web pages that did not require special understanding of HTML complexities and the implementation of complex Web server access controls.

Web page content is usually defined for the user with maximum access. Users with restricted access then have difficulties clicking on links they have no permission to view. Previous Web pages were statically generated and unable to dynamically customize view content based on Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) group membership.

The Cassini Structured Homepages Framework (CASH) drastically simplifies this operation by supplying the site administrator with a small set of XML files that specifies both content and associated access control. The site administrator modifies these files to achieve the desired content and access control updates. The Web framework then fabricates a customized experience for each user, allowing the site administrator to skirt the complexities of HTML, CSS, and PHP.

CASH ensures Cassini Web pages are ITAR-compliant, easy to maintain, and consistently formatted. It verifies user LDAP group membership and customizes the Web page view based on customizable access controls. Each subdirectory in the Web page structure can have unique access controls specified in a configuration file.

This work was done by Andrew P. Darwin and Delvison Castillo of Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The software is also available for download from https://github.com/nasa/cash . This software is available for commercial licensing. Please contact Dan Broderick at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Refer to NPO-49266.



This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Document cover
CASH: Framework for Streamlined, Daily Updates

(reference NPO-49266) is currently available for download from the TSP library.

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