/**
   * Check a username/password pair for valid authentication.
   *
   * @param username Username to authenticate against.
   * @param password Password to use for authentication.
   * @return True or false of the authentication succeeded.
   */
  public Boolean checkAuthentication(String username, String password) {
    try {
      // Un-escape username.
      username = JID.unescapeNode(username);
      // Encode potentially non-ASCII characters
      username = URLUTF8Encoder.encode(username);
      String path = ClearspaceAuthProvider.URL_PREFIX + "authenticate/" + username + "/" + password;
      executeRequest(GET, path);
      return true;
    } catch (Exception e) {
      // Nothing to do.
      Log.warn("Failed authenticating user with Clearspace. User = " + username, e);
    }

    return false;
  }
  /**
   * Returns the Clearspace user id the user by username.
   *
   * @param username Username to retrieve ID of.
   * @return The ID number of the user in Clearspace.
   * @throws org.jivesoftware.openfire.user.UserNotFoundException If the user was not found.
   */
  protected long getUserID(String username) throws UserNotFoundException {
    // Gets the part before of @ of the username param
    if (username.contains("@")) {
      // User's id are only for local users
      if (!XMPPServer.getInstance().isLocal(new JID(username))) {
        throw new UserNotFoundException("Cannot load user of remote server: " + username);
      }
      username = username.substring(0, username.lastIndexOf("@"));
    }

    // Checks if it is in the cache
    if (userIDCache.containsKey(username)) {
      return userIDCache.get(username);
    }

    // Un-escape username.
    String unescapedUsername = JID.unescapeNode(username);
    // Encode potentially non-ASCII characters
    unescapedUsername = URLUTF8Encoder.encode(unescapedUsername);
    // Gets the user's ID from Clearspace
    try {
      String path = ClearspaceUserProvider.USER_URL_PREFIX + "users/" + unescapedUsername;
      Element element =
          executeRequest(org.jivesoftware.openfire.clearspace.ClearspaceManager.HttpType.GET, path);

      Long id = Long.valueOf(WSUtils.getElementText(element.selectSingleNode("return"), "ID"));

      userIDCache.put(username, id);

      return id;
    } catch (UserNotFoundException unfe) {
      // It is a supported exception, throw it again
      throw unfe;
    } catch (Exception e) {
      // It is not a supported exception, wrap it into a UserNotFoundException
      throw new UserNotFoundException("Unexpected error", e);
    }
  }
  /**
   * Returns the Clearspace group id of the group.
   *
   * @param groupname Name of the group to retrieve ID of.
   * @return The ID number of the group in Clearspace.
   * @throws org.jivesoftware.openfire.group.GroupNotFoundException If the group was not found.
   */
  protected long getGroupID(String groupname) throws GroupNotFoundException {
    if (groupIDCache.containsKey(groupname)) {
      return groupIDCache.get(groupname);
    }
    try {
      // Encode potentially non-ASCII characters
      groupname = URLUTF8Encoder.encode(groupname);
      String path = ClearspaceGroupProvider.URL_PREFIX + "groups/" + groupname;
      Element element =
          executeRequest(org.jivesoftware.openfire.clearspace.ClearspaceManager.HttpType.GET, path);

      Long id = Long.valueOf(WSUtils.getElementText(element.selectSingleNode("return"), "ID"));
      // Saves it into the cache
      groupIDCache.put(groupname, id);

      return id;
    } catch (GroupNotFoundException gnfe) {
      // It is a supported exception, throw it again
      throw gnfe;
    } catch (Exception e) {
      // It is not a supported exception, wrap it into a GroupNotFoundException
      throw new GroupNotFoundException("Unexpected error", e);
    }
  }