Creating OSLC Links is about trust between different applications. The triggering application of the OSLC link creation must have access to the resources (artifacts) of the other application, and this one must allow the modification of them in order to create the link. All this must happen in an atmosphere of trust: applications must be registered in each other to allow this behavior only between registered applications. The application allowing the access/modification of its resources is called the friend application, whereas the one requesting such access/modification is called the consumer application.

In this scenario, if ${local-app} wants to access/modify the resources of an OSLC Remote Application, the OSLC Remote Application needs to be registered in ${local-app} as a friend, and at the same time, ${local-app} needs to be registered in the OSLC Remote Application as a consumer. Similarly, to allow bidirectional creation and navigation of links, ${local-app} needs to be registered as a friend in the OSLC Remote Application, and the OSLC Remote Application needs to be registered as a consumer in ${local-app}.

There are normally two ways to establish this connectivity:

• By requesting a provisional key.
  1. The friend application is registered first on the consumer.
  2. While registering, the consumer asks the friend to generate a provisional key working for a given secret (a password chosen during that process).
  3. If the friend application accepts the request, it registers the consumer on its side and returns the provisional key to it.
  4. The consumer will be able to use this key and secret to access the friend once the provisional key becomes authorized.
   
• By reusing an authorized key.
  1. The consumer application is registered first on the friend.
  2. While registering, the friend administrator sets an authorized key and secret for the consumer.
  3. The friend administrator needs to communicate, to the consumer administrator, the key and secret set.
  4. The consumer administrator registers the friend using the given key and secret.

Everything is about a key and a secret, the difference between last approaches is how they generate and share the key. Considering ${local-app} will be the consumer and the OSLC Remote Application the friend, if you choose to use:

• Requesting a provisional key.
  1. You need to register the OSLC Remote Application as a friend of ${local-app} first.
  2. While registering, you need to request a provisional key working for a secret you choose.
  3. If the OSLC Remote Application accepts the request, it registers ${local-app} as a consumer of it and returns the provisional key to it.
  4. You need to call/wait for the OSLC Remote Application administrator to change the provisional key to an authorized key before you can access the OSLC Remote Application.
   
• Reusing an authorized key.
  1. You ask the OSLC Remote Application administrator to register ${local-app} as a consumer first.
  2. While registering, the OSLC Remote Application administrator sets an authorized key and secret for ${local-app}.
  3. The OSLC Remote Application administrator needs to communicate you the key and secret set.
  4. You can now register the OSLC Remote Application as a friend of ${local-app} using the given key and secret.

This would be a good moment to get in touch with the OSLC Remote Application administrator and agree on which method you both will use. Keep in mind that whereas ${local-app-connector} supports both methods of making friends, different OSLC Remote Applications may support only one of them.

Following is what you need to do to complete this configuration:

1. Refer to related tasks in order to know how to manage (register) friends and consumers on ${local-app}.
2. Get in touch with ${local-app} ${term-project-singular} administrators and ask them:
   1. which OSLC Remote Applications need to become friends of ${local-app}.
   2. if latter friends are IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) applications, whether the use of Global Configurations is required.
   3. whether they require to use IBM Jazz Reporting Service and/or IBM Engineering Lifecycle Optimization - Engineering Insights (ENI).
    
3. Get in touch with corresponding OSLC Remote Applications administrators to decide which friending process will be used: by requesting a provisional key or by reusing an authorized one.
4. Register, with the aid of OSLC Remote Applications administrators, required friends and consumers according to ${local-app} ${term-project-singular} administrators needs.
5. Ask OSLC Remote Applications administrators to register required associations according to ${local-app} ${term-project-singular} administrators needs.
6. If either Global Configurations or IBM Jazz Reporting Service/IBM Engineering Lifecycle Optimization - Engineering Insights are required, follow the steps described in ${anchor-title-trs-consumers}.