Microservices in the Brightspace Cloud - Montana · Web viewAs the Brightspace platform continues to improve and evolve, some of its functionality is now delivered using a pattern

Microservices in the Brightspace Cloud

ContentsDOCUMENT CHANGE HISTORY....................................................................................................................... 3

ABOUT MICROSERVICES IN THE BRIGHTSPACE CLOUD....................................................................................5

MICROSERVICES AND ON-PREMISE CLIENTS...................................................................................................6

MICROSERVICES AND DATA........................................................................................................................... 6

MICROSERVICES ARCHITECTURE.................................................................................................................... 7

OVERVIEW OF RELEASED MICROSERVICES.....................................................................................................8

Activity Sequence Service.................................................................................................................................10

Authentication Service.....................................................................................................................................11

Caliper Gateway Service...................................................................................................................................12

Dates Service....................................................................................................................................................13

Distributed Event Framework Service..............................................................................................................15

Feed Service.....................................................................................................................................................17

Landlord Service...............................................................................................................................................20

LMS Discovery Service......................................................................................................................................22

User Info Service...............................................................................................................................................23

MICROSERVICES AND THE BRIGHTSPACE DATA PLATFORM..........................................................................24

ABOUT D2L.................................................................................................................................................. 27

Microservices in the Brightspace CloudContents

© 2023 by D2L Corporation. All rights reserved. 2

Document Change HistoryThis version of the document replaces all previous versions. The following table describes the most recent changes to this document.

Revision Date Summary of Changes

May 5, 2016 Updated topic Feed Service - added reference to the Content as instant notifications have been enabled through the Feed Service when content overview is created or updated.

Updated topic Microservices and the Brightspace Data Platform to illustrate the data being transmitted.

March 11, 2016 Renamed "How microservices work with the Brightspace Data Platform" section to "Microservices and the Brightspace Data Platform".

Added a "Microservices and data" section.

Updated information about data transmission and storage in the following sections: "Caliper Gateway Service", "Distributed Event Framework", and "Microservices and the Brightspace Data Platform".

March 3, 2016 Added the Activity Sequence Service topic.

Updated images and related content to show User Info Service dependency.

Added the "Caliper Gateway Service" and "How microservices work with the Brightspace Data Platform" sections.

Updated the "Distributed Event Framework Service" section to indicate how it interacts with the Brightspace Data Platform.

February 4, 2016 Updated the "User Info Service" section to indicate that personalized course names are stored in the service.



Revision Date Summary of Changes

January 6, 2016 Added a note to the "Feed Service" section to indicate the type of course information that is no longer transmitted through the Feed Service

December 3, 2015 Added the User Info Service

Provided clarification on Auth tokens, device ID, end-user dates, and what the Feed Service stores

November 5, 2015 Updated data transmission and encryption information in "Dates Service" and "Feed Service" sections

October 1, 2015 Update to indicate that Authentication Service is on by default

September 3, 2015 Added proxy server support for the Authentication Service and clarified dependencies in the Microservices architecture diagram

August 6, 2015 Initial Release



About microservices in the Brightspace CloudAs the Brightspace platform continues to improve and evolve, some of its functionality is now delivered using a pattern known as Microservice Architecture. This architecture involves separating software otherwise bundled together into independent and lightweight components (microservices or simply known as services) that communicate across a network (typically, via https) rather than being bundled directly together. The location of each microservice in the Brightspace Cloud is based on many factors including expected usage patterns, availability, resiliency, and dependencies on other microservices. As a result, some microservices reside in D2L data centers or Amazon Web Services™ (AWS). For the most part, the locations of microservices have no end-user impact on how the Brightspace platform is used. Some Brightspace products also use microservices that store data outside of D2L data centers. For example, the Brightspace Data Platform uses AWS for data storage and the Dates Service uses IBM® Cloudant® for database storage. If applicable, data storage considerations are covered as part of the D2L master agreement (MA) and/or amendments.

Development and operations teams at D2L experience many of the direct benefits of microservices, but that change and renewal also lets us further improve experiences and functionality for our users. These benefits flow from one key idea: narrowly focused system components that exchange functional services with other components via well-defined network API boundaries.

The narrowly focused and separated components give our teams the option to employ a variety of technologies and scalability strategies, rather than settling for those intended for combined application. For example, the Brightspace Data Platform takes advantage of the distributed processing provided by Apache™ Hadoop® clusters when performing its aggregation and analysis. This technique would not be relevant to other Brightspace product areas such as discussion posts.

Additionally, the separation also helps our teams effectively and quickly adapt to new technologies and approaches as they become available. For example, we have been able to create new user interfaces that leverage specialized web-side user interface frameworks and interact directly with microservices. This flexibility allows our teams to develop and refine new workflows for our users using the most effective technology.

Our test-focused staff also can make effective use of this architectural change because they can take advantage of alternatives around testing microservices that emerge because of the formal service boundaries. Our D2L Valence developer community can also take advantage of these boundaries, because each of them naturally becomes an API candidate for users looking to develop custom workflows or tools that integrate into the Brightspace platform.

The implementation of microservices and the coordination of development and operations teams has enriched D2L's approach to network infrastructure and deepened our expertise in a variety of more specialized technology platforms.



Microservices and on-premise clientsOn-premise clients access the same D2L microservices in AWS as hosted clients, but they access them through their on-premise Brightspace instances. D2L microservices in AWS do not require any installation. D2L microservices in AWS cannot be hosted in on-premise environments.

To access certain features in Brightspace platform 10.6, on-premise clients must agree to permit access to centrally hosted microservices. For example, the Landlord Service and Authentication Service are required for accessing Brightspace Insights and Brightspace Pulse. Specifics on how to do this depend on how each client's environment is configured. For example, a client may have specific firewall restrictions that their IT department must adjust to permit traffic to D2L microservices in AWS.

Health checks that report on the availability of D2L microservices in AWS are monitored by D2L and are not available to on-premise clients.

Microservices and dataDepending on its function, transmission and storage of data is a consideration for microservices. The location of each data store is based on many factors, including the location of the microservice itself, security of the data, availability of the data, and dependencies on other microservices. D2L works with customers in many regions, jurisdictions, and markets with different needs and requirements around data privacy. We provide information on the data that is transmitted and stored for each microservice, allowing organizations to review it as needed.



Microservices architectureThe following architecture diagram displays current D2L microservices, their deployment locations in the Brightspace Cloud, and the dependencies among them with new Brightspace products and other microservices. For detailed information, refer to the sections for individual microservices in this guide.

Figure 1: An overview of microservices in the Brightspace Cloud



Overview of released microservices



Microservice Name

Role Released In Instance Location Depends On Depended On By

Landlord Service Provides each Brightspace instance with a TenantId, a permanent globally unique identifier.

10.5.0 1 global instance

AWS n/a Authentication Service

Distributed Event Framework Service

Brightspace Insights

Brightspace Data Platform

Authentication Service

Provides user and service-level authentication and authorization via the OAuth2 protocol.


AWS Landlord Service

Brightspace Pulse



Caliper Gateway

Dates Service Provides an API for learners' personal dates. Currently, only used by Brightspace Pulse.

10.5.1 1 global cluster



User Info Service

Brightspace Pulse

Feed Service Provides an API for learner updates to Announcements and Grades tools. Currently, only used by Brightspace Pulse.

10.5.0 1 global cluster



User Info Service

Brightspace Pulse



Microservice Name

Role Released In Instance Location Depends On Depended On By

LMS Discovery Service

Provides a list of Brightspace instances so app users (i.e. Brightspace Pulse) don't need to know their instance URL.


AWS none Brightspace Pulse


Provides awareness of D2L Learning Environment events for other Brightspace services such as Brightspace Insights.

Available to clients on 10.4+

1 instance per Data Center

D2L Data Center

Landlord Service


Caliper Gateway Service

Provides an API for 3rd-party tools to send events to the Brightspace Data Platform.

TBD 1 global instance

AWS Authentication Service


User Info Service Provides storage of user preferences and filters user information between Brightspace Pulse and D2L Learning Environment


AWS none Brightspace Pulse

Dates Service

Feed Service

Activity Sequence Service

Acts as a proxy or mediator to learning paths within Brightspace platform




Brightspace platform



Activity Sequence ServiceDescriptionThe Activity Sequence Service acts as a proxy or mediator to learning paths within Brightspace platform.

Connections from the Activity Sequence Service to D2L Learning Environment are made through the D2L Valence API.

Note This microservice will support different kinds of learning paths (dynamic, adaptive) in the future.

LocationA global cluster that resides in AWS.

Dependencies Authentication Service - Indirect dependency: It is not called directly but requires tokens issued by the

Authentication Service. If unavailable and a token has not been issued, this service will also be unavailable.

Landlord Service - If unavailable, this service will also be unavailable.

Depended on by Brightspace platform:

Sequence Viewer (Free Range App)

File Activity Viewer (Free Range App) (indirectly)

Link Activity Viewer (Free Range App) (indirectly)

LTI Activity Viewer (Free Range App) (indirectly)

Data Transmitted/StoredNo data is stored alongside this service. The data passed through this service is:

OrgUnitId

For content modules and topics:

ID

Parent ID, child IDs, sibling IDs

Name

Completion state

Entity data representing files, links, LTI activity launch information, etc. Specifics depend on the entity type and are dictated by D2L Learning Environment.



Authentication ServiceThe Authentication Service (or Auth) is an OAuth 2.0 security token microservice. Its primary responsibility is to issue security tokens to authorized clients (software applications, including free-range apps) to enable them to interact with D2L microservices.

By design, the Authentication Service, on which Brightspace Pulse is dependent, does not support self-signed, expired, or invalid certificates. Organizations using any of these will not be able to use Brightspace Pulse.

The Authentication Service is enabled by default. As a result, Brightspace features or products that depend on the Authentication Service, such as Brightspace Pulse, can be accessed. Currently, all features or products that depend on the Authentication Service are turned off by default. If those features or products are enabled, it is possible for data to flow into them.

LocationA globally accessible D2L microservice that resides in AWS.

Dependencies Depends on the Landlord Service. Before using the Authentication Service, on-premise clients must register their

org with the Landlord Service.

Depended on by multiple microservices, Brightspace Pulse, and Brightspace Insights.

Data StoredThe Authentication Service stores the URLs of authorized clients (software applications, including free-range apps) and provisions access tokens for these clients for service-to-service authentication used by Brightspace products. It stores the userId as part of the context for user authentication - for example, when authenticating a user of the data API for the Brightspace Data Platform.

Using a proxy server with the Authentication Service for on-premise clientsThe Authentication Service supports proxy servers. This allows on-premise clients that use proxy servers to take advantage of Brightspace products that depend on the Authentication Service such as Brightspace Pulse.

For on-premise clients using a proxy server, allow outbound traffic from D2L Learning Environment to https://auth.brightspace.com.

Important: You must specify the host name (not the IP address) and port 443.

How the Service WorksThe Authentication Service facilitates service-level and user-level authentication and authorization. The following example summarizes user-level authentication and authorization.

1. A learner navigates to a tool that depends on the Authentication Service.

2. The Learning Management System (LMS) contacts the Authentication Service, provisions an Auth token (JSON Web Token) for the learner, and provides the Auth token to the tool/application.

3. While using the tool, JavaScript running in the learner’s browser can call secured D2L microservices directly, providing the Auth token during each request.



4. Microservices extract and authenticate the Auth token, then ensure that the caller is authorized to perform the requested operation before proceeding.

In this way, the learner’s browser is less tightly coupled to the LMS, which improves performance and robustness, and facilitates the development of new Brightspace features.

Caliper Gateway ServiceDescriptionThe Caliper Gateway Service allows 3rd-party tools implementing the Caliper Analytics™ 1.0 Standard to send events to the Brightspace Data Platform for storage and aggregation.

LocationOne global instance in AWS.

Dependencies Depends on the Authentication Service.

Depended on by the Brightspace Data Platform.

Data Transmitted/StoredThe Caliper Gateway Service does not store any client data. The service transmits data in the form of events, from a 3rd party tool to the Brightspace Data Platform. The Caliper Gateway Service uses the HTTPS networking protocol. While in transit, all events are encrypted. The events that are transmitted contain programmatic identifiers for the user, the context of the event, and the type of the event. For example:

A programmatic identifier for the user such as User ID = 123.

A programmatic identifier for courses such as Course ID = 987.

Events such as logins, tool access, and content visits are identified by the programmatic identifier for the user.

How the Service Works1. A learner performs an action in a 3rd-party tool which triggers events.

2. The 3rd-party tool sends events to the Caliper Gateway Service.

3. The Caliper Gateway Service sends events to the Brightspace Data Platform.



Figure 2: How the Caliper Gateway sends events to the Brightspace Data Platform

Dates ServiceDescriptionThe Dates Service provides an API for learner dates, for example, Brightspace Pulse uses the Dates Service to provide details on assignment due dates and scheduled exams.

LocationA global cluster that resides in AWS. The Dates Service Database resides in IBM Cloudant.

Dependencies Depends on the Authentication Service and Landlord Service, and User Info Service.

Depended on by Brightspace Pulse.



Data Transmitted/StoredTo communicate, devices and microservices use the HTTPS networking protocol. While in transit, all data is encrypted; however, data at rest is not encrypted.

The userID in data is a composite key along with the course offering ID; it is not a universally accepted global ID for the user. The user ID cannot be linked to a user's name or identity. In the database, user IDs appear as a series of repeated numbers.

Regarding data retention, D2L requires the user ID to report on general user data; it is not used to report on the activity of a specific user. For example, the user ID may be used to report on how many users have an average of three or more dates per month. D2L would not use the data to report on how many times John Smith looks at his deadlines. D2L retains the data as long as required to generate reports based on general user data. The reports are subject to change at D2L’s discretion and client-specific data is subject to the terms specified in the MA, including data retention past contract termination.

Dates Service Database Data Scope Retention Policy

Calendar Course offering ID (key), title, description, date, type (test, assignment)

All course offerings for all instances at a given data center

Not stored

Grades (Weights and point values)

Course offering, grade item All course offerings for all instances at a given data center

Not stored

End-user personal date

Note: End-user personal dates are created by end-users (midterms, assignments, etc.); the information doesn't currently exist in the LMS. However, after creation, the dates persist between devices.

Title, description, date, grade weight, type (test, assignment)

User As long as required for analytical purposes

How the Service Works1. When a learner uses Brightspace Pulse, an API request is made to retrieve date information, for example, scheduled

exams.

2. The request is forwarded to the Dates Service.

3. If the data is stored in D2L Learning Environment, the data is retrieved using the Valence API. If the data is not stored in D2L Learning Environment, the data is retrieved from the Dates Service database.

4. The date information is then sent to the device.



Figure 3: How the Dates Service works when accessing dates from Brightspace Pulse

Distributed Event Framework ServiceDescriptionThe Distributed Event Framework Service provides awareness of D2L Learning Environment events for other products such as Brightspace Insights.

LocationOne instance per Data Center.

Note D2L is evaluating a solution that will provide Brightspace Insights in the cloud for on-premise Brightspace implementations. As such, the Distributed Event Framework Service is currently only available in D2L Data Centers.

Dependencies Depends on the Landlord Service.

Depended on by the Brightspace Data Platform.

Data StoredThe Distributed Event Framework Service transmits and stores data in the form of events. The Distributed Event Framework Service uses the Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) with encryption. While in transit, all events are encrypted. The events that are transmitted contain programmatic identifiers for the user, the context of the event, and the type of the event. For example:



Events such as logins, tool access, and content visits are identified by the programmatic identifier for the user.



Events are stored in the Data Center and transmitted to services such as the Brightspace Data Platform (located in AWS).

How the Service WorksThe following example illustrates how the Distributed Event Framework Service works with Brightspace Insights.

1. User events are generated in D2L Learning Environment. For example, when a user logs in to the system, a Login Event is generated.

2. These events are then stored in the Main DB split.

3. The Telegraph Service pulls batches of events from the Main DB split and prepares to publish them to the Distributed Event Framework Service.

4. Before publishing events, the Telegraph Service must attach a TenantId to each event. It first looks for the TenantId in the Memcache (where a cached copy of the TenantId may be stored). If the TenantId is not there, it requests it from the Landlord Service.

5. The Landlord Service returns the unique TenantID to the Telegraph Service, which attaches the TenantId to each event and then publishes the events to the Distributed Event Framework Service.

6. The Distributed Event Framework Service processes the events for usage by other products/services. For example, the Distributed Event Framework Service streams events to the Brightspace Data Platform.

Figure 4: How the Distributed Event Framework Service works with Brightspace Insights



Feed ServiceDescriptionThe Feed Service provides an API for learner updates to the Announcements, Grades, and Content tools. It sends user notifications (the ones that appear in the minibar in D2L Learning Environment) to the Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) and Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) for use by the Apple iOS and Google Android platforms, respectively.

Note When users log in with Brightspace Pulse, data starts collecting automatically. To prevent data collection while you are evaluating this product for your environment, disable the Feed Service.

LocationA global cluster that resides in AWS. The Feed Service Database resides in IBM Cloudant.

Dependencies Depends on the Authentication Service.




Data Transmitted/StoredThe Feed Service stores Announcements notifications that are pushed from the LMS as they happen (in the LMS) for Brightspace Pulse users. This service itself does not return to the LMS to retrieve historical data.

To communicate, devices and microservices use the HTTPS networking protocol. While in transit, all data is encrypted; however, data at rest is not encrypted.

The user ID in data is a composite key along with the course offering ID; it is not a universally accepted global ID for the user. The user ID cannot be linked to a user's name or identity. In the database, user IDs appear as a series of repeated numbers.

Regarding data retention, D2L requires the user ID to report on general user data; it is not used to report on the activity of a specific user. For example, the user ID may be used to report on how many users have an average of three or more dates per month. D2L would not use the data to report on how many times John Smith looks at his deadlines. D2L retains the data as long as required to generate reports based on general user data. The reports are subject to change at D2L’s discretion and client-specific data is subject to the terms specified in the MA, including data retention past contract termination.

Feed Service Database Data Scope Retention Policy

Grades Event: Released Grade

Course offering ID (key), user ID (key), grade value

All users for all course offerings for all instances globally

As long as required for analytical purposes

Grades Event: Updated Grade

Course offering ID (key), user ID (key), grade value

All users for all course offerings for all instances globally


Announcements Event: New Announcements Item

Course offering ID (key), title, description, posted date

All course offerings for all instances globally


Announcements Event: Updated Announcements Item

Course offering ID (key), title, description, posted date

All course offerings for all instances globally


User/Device Mapping User ID (key), Device ID (key)

Note: The Device ID is an identifier supplied by Apple/Google servers so Brightspace can send push notifications to the user's device.

All devices for all users globally




Note The Feed Service does not transmit information from courses with an End Date that has passed or that have the Is Active setting disabled.

How the Service Works1. When a learner uses Brightspace Pulse for the first time, their device is registered and a unique Device ID is

assigned.

2. In D2L Learning Environment, events are generated that need to be sent to the Feed Service as push notifications, for example, an exam grade.

3. The event is stored in the Feed Service database.

4. The D2L Mobile Push Notification Service looks up the Device ID in the Mobile Push Notification Service Database to determine who the intended recipient is.

5. The D2L Mobile Push Notification Service sends the Device ID to the third party Push Notification Service (i.e. Apple, Google), which retrieves the event directly.

6. The 3rd party Push Notification Service sends a push notification to the device. No data is sent with the request, only a notice that information is available such as an exam grade.

Figure 5: How the Brightspace Feed Service works when receiving notifications in Brightspace Pulse



Landlord ServiceDescriptionThe Landlord Service is a global microservice that supports multi-tenancy and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)-based solutions. It provides each Brightspace instance with a TenantId, a permanent globally unique identifier.

Note If a Brightspace instance cannot connect to the Landlord Service, a unique TenantId is not assigned and any features that require a TenantId are unavailable. Users receive a message that their organization's system is not set up.

LocationA global instance that resides in AWS.

DependenciesDepended on by:





Brightspace Pulse

Data Stored The TenantId.

The primary domain as well as any aliases of your Brightspace instance.

The main database split server as configured in the instance.config file and the database name.

API CallsLandlord allows the following public read-only API calls:

Given primary domain, database server name, and database, retrieve a TenantId. All three values are required to get a TenantId.

Given a TenantId, retrieve the primary domain.

Provisioning a TenantId (on-premise clients only)If you do not have a TenantId, submit a ticket to D2L Support requesting a TenantId with the following information for each of your sites:

the Brightspace site

the DNS CNAME, where the value is the database server name

name of the main database split



Important The DNS CNAME and name of the main database split must match the corresponding information in the instance.config file. The easiest method for providing this information to D2L Support is to copy the connection string element from instance.config for the main database split (excluding the password). For example:

<connectionString value="Data Source=MYSQLServer;Initial Catalog=D2L_Main;..." />

Having your TenantID provisioned using a DNS CNAME instead of a host name ensures that if you need to make an unplanned change to your database server, applications that rely on the TenantId are unaffected. For example, if your site fails over to a mirror database, you update the CNAME value to the new host name. In this situation, no changes to the TenantID are required. For example, Name: LVUDB, Type: CNAME, and Value: winsql01.lvu.com.

Confirming that a TenantId has been provided (on-premise clients only)As of 10.5.0, on-premise clients can check the ORG_ORGANIZATIONS table in their main database split to see if the TenantIdCachedForQueryString and CachedTenantId columns are populated for their org. If they are not populated, then Brightspace is unable to get the TenantId from the Landlord Service, meaning the TenantId is not provisioned yet or Brightspace cannot connect to the Landlord Service. The System Error Log should include a message that describes the issue.

Configuring Brightspace for the Landlord Service (on-premise clients only)If your institution's firewall configuration does not allow outbound traffic, you must use one of the following methods to establish an outgoing HTTPS connection to https://landlord.brightspace.com (https://landlord.brightspace.com):

Add a firewall rule to allow outbound connections (port 80 and port 443) from all web and scalable servers to https://landlord.brightspace.com (https://landlord.brightspace.com).

Configure a proxy server on the network by setting up the following configuration variables: d2l.System.Infrastructure.ProxyAddress - The address of the proxy server. It normally takes the form http://myproxy:8080/ or https://myproxy:8080/ where myproxy is the host name or IP address and 8080 is the port. d2l.System.Infrastructure.ProxyBypassAddresses - Addresses or address patterns that should not go through the proxy server. Address patterns take the form scheme://hostname:port/path where scheme is either http or https; hostname can be set as a * wildcard; port can be a specific number or a * wildcard to apply to all port numbers; and path is optional and can also contain a * wildcard.

Changes to TenantID values (on-premise clients only)Features that require the Landlord Service could experience problems if the primary domain of the Brightspace site, the database server name, or name of the main database split changes.

If you need to change the primary domain of your Brightspace site, the database server name, or the name of the main database split, contact your D2L Technical Account Manager.



https://landlord.brightspace.com/

https://landlord.brightspace.com/

LMS Discovery ServiceDescriptionThe LMS Discovery Service provides a list of LMSs so users don't need to know their Brightspace instance URL. For example, when a learner uses Brightspace Pulse, they need to connect the app to a specific Brightspace instance. However, the learner may only know the name of the school and not the Brightspace instance URL. The LMS Discovery Service allows learners to enter the school name and the service provides them with the applicable Brightspace instance URL.

LocationA service that resides in AWS.

DependenciesDepended on by Brightspace Pulse.

Data Stored Institution names (currently only Higher Education, US/Canada)

Brightspace instance name and URL, if applicable (non-D2L institution names are also stored)

Approximate location of the institution (ZIP/postal code approximation)

How the Service Works1. From a device, a learner launches Brightspace Pulse for the first time and enters the name of their school.

Brightspace Pulse contacts the LMS Discovery Service, which retrieves the Brightspace instance URL used by the school.

2. After entering the URL in Brightspace Pulse, the learner logs in, authenticating directly with the school’s Brightspace instance.



Figure 6: How the LMS Discovery Service works with Brightspace Pulse

User Info ServiceDescriptionTo enhance the performance and scalability of microservices that support Brightspace Pulse, the User Info Service acts as a proxy microservice responsible for:

Modifying or filtering user information between Brightspace Pulse and other sources of information (currently, D2L Learning Environment only).

Storing user preferences for Brightspace Pulse.

By default, the User Info Service is turned on and cannot be disabled.

Connections from the User Info Service to D2L Learning Environment are made through the D2L Valence API. To allow connections from the User Info Service to D2L Learning Environment, on-premise clients must ensure that the D2L Valence API is publicly accessible.

LocationA global cluster that resides in AWS. The User Info Service Database resides in IBM Cloudant.

Dependencies No dependencies on other microservices.




Data Transmitted/StoredThe User Info Service stores the following user data for course offering enrollments in a User Info Service database in IBM Cloudant:

Composite key of tenantId and userId

orgUnitId

Org unit name

Org unit code

Org unit type

Color (Brightspace Pulse only)

Active flag (Brightspace Pulse only - was returned in previous enrollments, but is no longer returned)

Customized course names (edited in Brightspace Pulse)

Microservices and the Brightspace Data PlatformDescriptionThe Brightspace Data Platform is D2L’s analytics solution. The Brightspace Data Platform stores raw events, and computes and stores aggregated data which can be accessed through an API.

LocationA cluster of nodes in AWS regions, influenced by our client base. D2L works with customers in many regions, jurisdictions, and markets with different needs and requirements for data privacy and residency.

Dependencies Depends on the Distributed Event Framework Service.

Depends on the Caliper Gateway Service.

Depends on the Landlord Service.

Depends on the Authentication Service.

Depended on by Brightspace Insights.



Data Transmitted/StoredThe Brightspace Data Platform stores and transmits analytics events and aggregated data. Events provide information about actions performed by the user. For example, a content visit event is triggered when a user opens a content topic. These events are aggregated across meaningful dimensions, for example, course access by all students in a course. The aggregated data can be transmitted via the Data API, for example, to a Brightspace Insights report.

Events contain programmatic identifiers for the user, the context of the event, and the type of the event. For example:



A programmatic identifier for the event type such as Login = 4545.

Stored data is encrypted with unique keys generated by D2L and are unique to each region. The data is stored on encrypted volumes to guard against back-end services being compromised. When transmitting data, the Brightspace Data Platform uses the HTTPS networking protocol. While in transit, all events are encrypted. Data access is restricted on a per-customer basis using the TenantID of the originating Brightspace instance. API access is governed by user and system-level permissions.

How the Service Works1. User events are generated in D2L Learning Environment. For example, when a user logs in to the system, a Login

Event is generated.

2. The Distributed Event Framework Service sends events to the Brightspace Data Platform.

3. Events are stored in Brightspace Data Platform (BDP) Storage.

4. The Brightspace Data Platform aggregates data, and stores the aggregated data in BDP Storage. For example, Login Events could be aggregated along hourly, daily, and weekly dimensions.

5. Aggregated data is sent to D2L Learning Environment in response to API requests. For example, API requests could be used to generate a report showing the Login Events generated for learners in a course.



Figure 7: How microservices work with the Brightspace Data Platform



About D2LA global leader in EdTech, D2L is the creator of Brightspace, the world’s first integrated learning platform.

The company partners with thought-leading organizations to improve learning through data-driven technology that helps deliver a personalized experience to every learner, regardless of geography or ability. D2L’s open and extensible platform is used by more than 1,100 clients and almost 15 million individual learners in higher education, K–12, healthcare, government, and the enterprise sector—including Fortune 1000 companies.

The company has operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil, and Singapore. www.brightspace.com (http://www.brightspace.com) | www.D2L.com (http://www.d2l.com)

Contact Us

Phone: 1.519.772.0325 (Worldwide)

Toll Free: 1.888.772.0325 (North America)

0.808.234.4235 (United Kingdom and Europe)

0.800.452.069 (New Zealand)

1.800.656.210 (Australia)

0.800.891.4507 (Brazil)

Fax: 1.519.772.0324

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @Brightspace

Web: www.brightspace.com (http://www.brightspace.com) | www.D2L.com (http://www.d2l.com)

© 2016 D2L Corporation.The D2L family of companies includes D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L Asia Pte Ltd, and D2L Brasil Soluções de Tecnologia para Educação Ltda.Brightspace, D2L, and other marks ("D2L marks") are trademarks of D2L Corporation, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Please visit d2l.com/trademarks for a list of other D2L marks.Amazon Web Services and AWS are trademarks, registered trademarks or trade dress of AWS in the U.S. and/or other countries.Apache, Apache Hadoop, and Hadoop are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. Used with permission. No endorsement by The Apache Software Foundation is implied by the use of these marks.IBM and Cloudant are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at "Copyright and trademark information" at www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml (www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml).All other trademarks are property of their respective trademark holders.



http://www.d2l.com/

http://www.brightspace.com/

http://www.d2l.com/

http://www.brightspace.com/



Documents

Microservices in the Brightspace Cloud - Montana · Web viewAs the Brightspace platform continues to improve and evolve, some of its functionality is now delivered using a pattern