Programming Guides › SDK Overview › About the SDK

About the SDK

This section contains the following topics:

Introduction to the SiteMinder SDK

Architectural Overview

Policy Server Access

Installed Directory Structure

SDK Samples

SiteMinder Test Tool

SDK Documentation

Introduction to the SiteMinder SDK

The SiteMinder Software Development Kit (SDK) provides Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that let you perform the following tasks:

Create custom front-end applications that can access SiteMinder services
Extend SiteMinder functionality through server plug-ins

The following table summarizes the custom applications and Policy Server extensions you can write using the APIs in the SiteMinder SDK:

Purpose and Associated API	Language
Agent applications: Agent API	C Java
Policy Management applications: Policy Management API	C Java
Delegated Management Services (DMS) applications: DMS API	Java
Authentication: Authentication API	C Java
Authorization: Authorization API	C Java
Event handling: Event API	C
Tunnel service: Tunnel API	C
Pre- and post-process workflow for DMS events: DMS Workflow API	C
Access to non-supported directory types: Directory API	C

Purpose and Associated API

Language

Agent applications:

Agent API

Java

Policy Management applications:

Policy Management API

Java

Delegated Management Services (DMS) applications:

DMS API

Java

Authentication:

Authentication API

Java

Authorization:

Authorization API

Java

Event handling:

Event API

Tunnel service:

Tunnel API

Pre- and post-process workflow for DMS events:

DMS Workflow API

Access to non-supported directory types:

Directory API

Architectural Overview

The following figure illustrates the location of the APIs in relation to the SiteMinder Policy Server:

Graphic showing the location of the APIs in relation to the SiteMidner Policy Server

Policy Server Access

You must have the SiteMinder Policy Server to run the applications and Policy Server plug-ins that you develop with the SiteMinder SDK.

However, in most cases, you do not use the Policy Server to build those applications and plug-ins. The one exception is that when building Policy Management applications for Solaris using the C Policy Management API, you must do so on the machine where the Policy Server is installed.

At runtime:

All plug-ins developed with the SDK must be installed on the same machine as the Policy Server.
Some applications developed with the SDK must be installed on the same machine as the Policy Server; others can be executed remotely.

The following table specifies the type of access to the Policy Server required by your applications and plug-ins:

Applications or Plug-Ins Developed with This API...	Require This Type of Access to the Policy Server...
Authentication API	Local
Authorization API	Local
Directory API	Local
Tunnel Services API	Local
Event API	Local
C Policy Management API	Local
C Agent API	Local or Remote
Java Agent API	Local or Remote
Java Policy Management API	Local or Remote

Note: When you build Policy Management applications for Solaris environments using the C Policy Management API, use the libraries libsmpolicyapi45.so and libsmutilities.so, which are part of the Policy Server.

Installed Directory Structure

The SDK installation includes header files, binary files, and sample code. The top-level installed directory structure is shown below in the sdk directory:

Graphic showing the SDK directory structure