[JDEV] Roster Management from a Transport

[Mark Hahn]

{NOTE: this message may get posted twice (by me and by the 
moderator), the first time I sent it using my updated veriozon email 
address forgetting that I subscribed to this list using my older GTE 
email address..sorry}

Hi,

As part of an R&D project, we have created a telephony transport that 
lets users manage phone calls. They can make outgoing calls, accept 
in bound calls, create audio conferences, redirect calls to voice 
mail, screen calls, pick them up and so on. So for so good.

The telephony transport interfaces with a server system that provides 
all of the telephony support as well as maintains information for 
each user including an address book. The back end system is also 
maintaining presence and availability for its user community.  It 
would be real nice to integrate the address book and presence 
information from the back end system via the transport with the 
roster and presence information that the user has available with 
their Jabber client.

Ideally both the Jabber server and the Transport server would be able 
to access common address book and PAM servers/services and this 
problem would go away. But they don't as yet.  The telephony system 
makes the Transport aware of the user's address book entries and 
presence info. The Transport in turn would like to hand that to the 
Jabber Server on behalf of the registered user and have it magically 
appear in the Jabber client for that user.  Roster updates on behalf 
of a user by the transport are blocked apparently for security 
reasons.  Makes sense.  Presence information gets through and is 
reflected by the client.  Is there a legitimate way for a Transport 
to modify/update/alter a user roster?  Is there some other mechanism 
that would make it possible for the Transport to set up and maintain 
rosters that could then be accessed by specific user clients?  Will 
this require a Jabber Server module to work in conjunction with the 
Transport?

Any and all pointers and help would be appreciated.

thanks

-mark
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  Mark Hahn              |  Verizon Laboratories
  mark.hahn at verizon.com  |  40 Sylvan Road
                         |  Waltham, Ma. 02451
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