ZoomStats reuses the logic of Unix user management, that is, being spitted into Users and Croups. The reasons for this chose are both: this hierarchy is well proven by long experience of UNIX without many limitations, as well as it is the easiest logic to learn while using the software, which is very important for end-user.
More in details on user hierarchy.
A group is nothing else than just a set of users. A group has one user with owner privileges. The owner of a group has the rights of adding new administrators and users and grant them permissions as needed.
Groups
A group has these categories of users:
Owner
A general manager for the group, the one firstly assigned to it on group's creation. Owner owns the total control on every member of every status, including group administrators. It can do administrative work for the group as well. Owner is what the group starts from.
Admin
Admin can add, remove and set permissions for every user within the given group, except for the owner and other administrators. If permitted by owner, Admin can also create new statistic reports and modify the settings for the group. Admin permissions are only controlled by Group Owners.
User
Ordinary user that can use all of the features allowed by the admin and owner of the group. No possibilities to change any group-wise settings, except for the personal preferences.
Guest
No permissions are given to a guest except for the limited access to the statistics view. This is an account with a general (or blank) password that could be given freely to anyone (permanently or temporary) to grant a read-only limited view of the statistics. Can be limited time-wise.
Every zoomstats Member can be shared between more Groups. This is simply done by adding members to a group, regardless if they already belong to elsewhere or not. On user's login they will be given a list of groups they belong to.
ZoomStats Group
Application also has a special group called ZoomStats.
ZoomStats is the magic group. It is created automatically on first installation of ZoomStats and works just as root group does on UNIX. ZoomStats group has the global permission within the installation. ZoomStats group is limited to only owner and admin users.
ZoomStats Owner
It's the root, the owner of ZoomStats application. It is only one user and is automatically created on first installation of ZoomStats and assigned to ZoomStats group. ZoomStats Owner is granted the total control on everything within ZoomStats without any limitations.
ZoomStats Admin
Can add/remove/modify any groups and any members. Admin can also create modify the settings for any group. Administrative rights of this user are tightly controlled by ZoomStats Owner creating so a managing ZoomStats division each with its own responsibilities.
Both ZoomStats Owner and Admin can set preferences for the ZoomStats application. In admin's case the profile should allow that.
This is the idea behind ZoomStats User Management.
One thing remaining now to add below is the way on allowing multiple sites. The idea is to have the possibility for each group to control several sites. These can be set by group admins and owners, while the amount of sites/hits per group can be controlled by ZoomStats owner and Admins.
Maxim Maletsky @ ZoomStats
