User Groups & Permissions Guide Overview GATE implements a role-based access control (RBAC) model that ensures secure and organized user management. Permissions are never assigned directly to individual users. Instead, users inherit their permissions from one or more groups , allowing you to tailor user experiences while maintaining platform security. Every group provides access to a specific functional area (such as AAA, payments, or advertising) at a defined privilege level (full admin, read-only admin, or reports-only). You can assign multiple groups to a single user to grant cross-functional responsibilities. flowchart LR U[User] -->|member of| G1[Group A
e.g. AAA admins] U -->|member of| G2[Group B
e.g. Payment reports] G1 -->|grants| P1[Permissions on AAA] G2 -->|grants| P2[Permissions on Payment reports] P1 --> UI[GATE admin UI] P2 --> UI โœ… Key Concept: Groups are additive. A user belonging to multiple groups receives the union of all their permissions. This allows you to compose roles rather than creating new groups for every possible combination. Permission Levels Most functional areas provide three standard permission levels. Always select the lowest level that enables users to complete their tasks effectively โ€” this follows the principle of least privilege . Standard Permission Levels Level Indicator Access Granted Typical Use Cases Admin ๐ŸŸข Full CRUD operations (create, view, update, delete) on area resources Day-to-day feature configuration and management Read-only Admin ๐ŸŸก Browse all objects in the area without modification or deletion capabilities Auditors, trainees, support staff conducting investigations Reports ๐Ÿ”ต Access to dashboards, charts, and transaction listings without configuration access Business analysts, finance teams, marketing personnel Special Cross-Cutting Roles Beyond the standard levels, GATE includes two important cross-cutting roles: Role Indicator Access Granted End User โšซ Personal profile access, password changes, and preference settings (non-administrative) Expert Mode ๐ŸŸฃ Unlocks hidden "Expert Mode" toggle revealing advanced menus and destructive operations (bulk deletes, internal settings) โš ๏ธ Expert Mode Warning: Only grant Expert Mode access to senior operators who understand the consequences of destructive operations. Functional Areas GATE organizes functionality into distinct areas, each with its own group hierarchy using the three standard permission levels where applicable. Area Scope ๐ŸŒ Global Administration Cross-cutting operations, organization-wide configuration, and platform health monitoring ๐Ÿ›ก AAA Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting โ€” profiles, realms, clients, home servers, session logs ๐Ÿ“‡ Account Tenant/account configuration including plans, services, lists, parameters, and site settings ๐Ÿ“ฃ Advertisement Campaign management, banner configuration, segmentation rules, and advertising transaction logs ๐Ÿ“ API Logs Platform API request history inspection for debugging and auditing purposes ๐Ÿ“ฑ Devices & Applications Mobile/desktop app registrations, device metadata, connection logs, and app subscriptions ๐Ÿ“ก Hotspot Monitoring Real-time access point health monitoring including reachability, uptime, coverage, and availability reports ๐Ÿ’ณ Payments Payment plan management, gateway configuration, transaction processing, and refund handling ๐Ÿ‘ฅ Users End-user account management, social login configuration, and user-level activity logs ๐Ÿ“Š Reports & Dashboards Cross-area analytics, KPI tracking, and exportable report generation ๐Ÿ”Ž SONDA / User Experience Real-world user experience monitoring including latency, throughput, and client-side reachability measurements Group Catalog The following tables detail every built-in group shipped with GATE, organized by functional area. Group names are stable identifiers that you can search for in the group administration interface. Global Administration Group Level Description GATE admins ๐ŸŸข Admin Comprehensive platform administration access for day-to-day operations across most areas GATE read-only admins ๐ŸŸก Read-only Platform-wide browsing access without modification capabilities GATE reports ๐Ÿ”ต Reports Access to dashboards, KPIs, and transaction listings across the platform ๐Ÿ’ก Usage Recommendation: These general-purpose roles serve as excellent starting points for most operators. Combine them with area-specific groups when users require deeper access to particular modules. AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting) Group Level Description GATE AAA admins ๐ŸŸข Admin Complete AAA administration including profiles, realms, clients, home servers, and accounting GATE AAA admins w/o Portals ๐ŸŸข Admin Full AAA administration excluding captive portal builder access GATE AAA admins w/o Portals RO ๐ŸŸก Read-only Read-only AAA administration without captive portal builder access GATE AAA read-only admins ๐ŸŸก Read-only Read-only access to the complete AAA functional area GATE AAA reports ๐Ÿ”ต Reports AAA accounting reports, session analytics, and traffic dashboard access GATE AAA user admins ๐ŸŸข Admin Specialized role for managing AAA end-users only (profiles, attributes, credentials) without infrastructure access ๐ŸŽฏ Selection Guidelines: Use AAA admins for complete AAA stack ownership Use AAA admins w/o Portals when captive portal design is managed separately Use AAA user admins for support desk personnel who only reset credentials or adjust user attributes Use AAA reports for analytics roles that must not access configuration Account Management Group Level Description GATE account admins ๐ŸŸข Admin Complete account administration including plans, services, lists, parameters, and site settings GATE account read-only admins ๐ŸŸก Read-only Read-only account administration access for audit and review purposes ๐ŸŽฏ Selection Guidelines: account admins represents the closest equivalent to a tenant "owner" role โ€” grant sparingly. account read-only admins is ideal for auditors and onboarding verification. Advertisement Management Group Level Description GATE advertisement admins ๐ŸŸข Admin Complete advertisement administration including campaigns, banners, and segmentation rules GATE advertisement read-only admins ๐ŸŸก Read-only Read-only advertisement administration for audit purposes GATE advertisement reports ๐Ÿ”ต Reports Advertisement reporting and transaction access including impressions, clicks, and conversions ๐Ÿ’ก Team Separation: Assign advertisement admins to marketing teams, advertisement reports to analytics teams, and advertisement read-only admins to finance auditors. API Logs Group Level Description GATE API Logs read-only ๐ŸŸก Read-only API request log browser access for debugging and auditing ๐Ÿ’ก Usage Recommendation: Ideal for integration teams and third-party partners who need API call troubleshooting capabilities without broader platform access. Devices & Applications Group Level Description GATE device admins ๐ŸŸข Admin Device and application administration including registrations, subscriptions, and configuration ๐Ÿ’ก Usage Recommendation: Designed for mobile/desktop application operations teams responsible for registered device lifecycle management. Hotspot Monitoring Group Level Description GATE hotspots monitoring ๐ŸŸข Admin Hotspot monitoring administration including monitoring profiles, thresholds, and alert configuration GATE hotspots monitoring read-only ๐ŸŸก Read-only Read-only access to hotspot monitoring dashboards and availability reports ๐Ÿ’ก Usage Recommendation: Essential for network operations center (NOC) teams monitoring access point health and coverage. Payment Management Group Level Description GATE payment admins ๐ŸŸข Admin Complete payments and plans administration including pricing, gateways, and plan lifecycle GATE payment read-only admins ๐ŸŸก Read-only Read-only payment area access for audit and compliance GATE payment reports ๐Ÿ”ต Reports Payment reporting and transaction access including revenue dashboards and reconciliation exports ๐ŸŽฏ Selection Guidelines: Finance teams typically need payment reports for reconciliation plus payment read-only admins for transaction investigation. Reserve payment admins for billing operations personnel only. User Management Group Level Description GATE users admins ๐ŸŸข Admin User account and user log administration GATE users RO ๐ŸŸก Read-only Read-only access to user lists and user activity logs Users โšซ End user Standard end-user role providing profile access and password change capabilities Users: Expert mode ๐ŸŸฃ Expert Enables Expert Mode toggle in admin UI, unlocking advanced menus and destructive operations โš ๏ธ Expert Mode Security Notice: Expert Mode reveals advanced and destructive operation menus (bulk accounting record deletion, low-level configuration, internal tooling). Grant Users: Expert mode exclusively to trained senior operators who understand operational consequences. Reports & Dashboards Group Level Description Report admins ๐ŸŸข Admin Report and dashboard administration including creation, editing, and sharing of custom reports ๐Ÿ’ก Usage Recommendation: Designed for business intelligence teams responsible for building and maintaining organizational dashboards. SONDA / User Experience Group Level Description SONDA admins ๐ŸŸข Admin SONDA probing and user experience measurement system administration SONDA reports ๐Ÿ”ต Reports SONDA reporting and transaction access including latency, throughput, and reachability metrics ๐Ÿ’ก Usage Recommendation: Essential for quality-of-experience (QoE) teams monitoring real user service perception. Access Matrix This visual summary shows available group combinations for each functional area and permission level. Empty cells indicate no pre-built group exists for that combination โ€” use the closest available level or combine multiple groups. Area ๐ŸŸข Admin ๐ŸŸก Read-only ๐Ÿ”ต Reports Notes Global GATE admins GATE read-only admins GATE reports Starting point for most operators AAA GATE AAA admins GATE AAA read-only admins GATE AAA reports w/o Portals variants available AAA (user-level) GATE AAA user admins โ€” โ€” Support/helpdesk focused Account GATE account admins GATE account read-only admins โ€” Tenant configuration Advertisement GATE advertisement admins GATE advertisement read-only admins GATE advertisement reports Complete coverage API logs โ€” GATE API Logs read-only โ€” Integration/debug role Devices & apps GATE device admins โ€” โ€” Limited coverage Hotspot monitoring GATE hotspots monitoring GATE hotspots monitoring read-only โ€” NOC teams Payments GATE payment admins GATE payment read-only admins GATE payment reports Complete coverage Users GATE users admins GATE users RO โ€” See also Users and Users: Expert mode Reports & dashboards Report admins โ€” โ€” BI team role SONDA / UX SONDA admins โ€” SONDA reports QoE role Common User Profiles These ready-to-apply group combinations cover most real-world operational requirements. ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ Platform Operator (Day-to-Day Admin) Group Assignment: GATE admins GATE AAA admins GATE account admins GATE device admins Role Description: Handles platform configuration, service onboarding, and operational issue resolution across all areas. Expert Mode is not included by default. ๐Ÿ›  Helpdesk / Tier-1 Support Group Assignment: GATE read-only admins GATE AAA user admins GATE users RO GATE API Logs read-only Role Description: Platform browsing, user credential resets, and API log inspection without configuration modification or data deletion capabilities. ๐Ÿ“Š Business Analyst / BI Group Assignment: GATE reports GATE AAA reports GATE advertisement reports GATE payment reports SONDA reports Report admins (optional, for dashboard creation) Role Description: Dashboard-focused access without configuration capabilities, eliminating accidental change risks. ๐Ÿ’ฐ Finance / Billing Group Assignment: GATE payment read-only admins GATE payment reports GATE read-only admins (optional, for context) Role Description: Transaction reconciliation and payment configuration auditing without modification capabilities. ๐Ÿ“ฃ Marketing Operator Group Assignment: GATE advertisement admins GATE advertisement reports Role Description: Campaign creation and measurement with isolated functional scope. ๐ŸŒ Network Operations (NOC) Group Assignment: GATE hotspots monitoring GATE AAA reports SONDA reports Role Description: Real-time access point health monitoring with session analytics and user experience correlation capabilities. ๐ŸŽ› Senior Operator (with Destructive Tooling) Group Assignment: GATE admins GATE AAA admins Users: Expert mode Role Description: Standard operator capabilities enhanced with Expert Mode access. Reserve for trusted operators exclusively. ๐Ÿ‘ค End User (Self-Service) Group Assignment: Users Role Description: Personal profile and password management without administrative area access. Best Practices ๐Ÿ›ก Principle of Least Privilege Always assign the minimum permission level required for job function completion. Prefer read-only admins over admins for investigation or audit roles. Choose reports over read-only admins when users only need dashboard access. ๐Ÿ”€ Compose Rather Than Customize Resist creating specialized groups for individual users. Combining two or three built-in groups typically addresses requirements while maintaining audit simplicity. ๐Ÿงช Test in Staging Environment Before production deployment, apply new user profiles (group combinations) to test users in non-production environments. Verify exact menu, button, and action visibility before real user rollout. ๐Ÿ“† Periodic Review Schedule Implement quarterly group membership reviews. Revoke admins and Expert Mode capabilities from users who no longer require them. Former employee accounts with lingering admin access represent the most common security incident cause. ๐Ÿšจ Separation of Duties When possible, distribute configuration and audit responsibilities among different personnel: Payment configuration ( payment admins ) and payment auditing ( payment read-only admins + payment reports ) should involve different individuals Campaign creation ( advertisement admins ) and advertising budget approval (via payment reports ) should involve different individuals ๐Ÿ”’ Expert Mode Access Control Treat Users: Expert mode as break-glass permission due to irreversible operation access: Grant exclusively to named senior operators Document justification for each recipient Implement quarterly Expert Mode group membership reviews Remove temporary Expert Mode access immediately upon task completion Frequently Asked Questions Can I modify built-in groups to add or remove permissions? While technically possible, modification is not recommended . Built-in groups may receive updates in future GATE releases, overwriting manual changes. Instead, create additional groups with required deltas and assign both to users. Can a user belong to multiple groups simultaneously? Yes. Group memberships are additive โ€” users inherit the union of all permissions from assigned groups. This represents the recommended approach for role composition. Which groups should new support agents receive? Start with GATE read-only admins + GATE users RO + GATE API Logs read-only . Add area-specific groups as responsibilities expand. A user sees unauthorized menus. How do I remove access? Remove the group granting menu access. If the menu persists, verify the user is not a superuser โ€” superusers bypass the group system entirely and see all menus. Downgrade to regular user status and assign appropriate groups instead. How do I identify which group grants specific menu access? Each admin section corresponds to a functional area (AAA, payments, advertising, etc.). Match the menu to the area using Section 3: Functional Areas , then select the appropriate level from Section 5: Access Matrix . Can I grant access to organization subsets only? Yes โ€” group-granted permissions are automatically scoped to the user's organization and its sub-organizations. A user with GATE admins in organization "Acme" will only see and administer Acme and its children, never sibling organizations. ๐Ÿ“ฌ Documentation Feedback: If you believe a group is missing, misnamed, or if use cases in this guide don't match your requirements, please submit a documentation request for review in the next release.