def pipeline(self, config, request):
        """
        The pipeline() function handles authentication and invocation of
        the correct consumer based on the server configuration, that is
        provided at initialization time.

        When authentication is performed all the authenticators are
        executed. If any returns False, authentication fails and a 403
        error is raised. If none of them positively succeeds and they all
        return None then also authentication fails and a 403 error is
        raised. Authentication plugins can add attributes to the request
        object for use of authorization or other plugins.

        When authorization is performed and positive result will cause the
        operation to be accepted and any negative result will cause it to
        fail. If no authorization plugin returns a positive result a 403
        error is returned.

        Once authentication and authorization are successful the pipeline
        will parse the path component and find the consumer plugin that
        handles the provided path walking up the path component by
        component until a consumer is found.

        Paths are walked up from the leaf to the root, so if two consumers
        hang on the same tree, the one closer to the leaf will be used. If
        there is a trailing path when the conumer is selected then it will
        be stored in the request dicstionary named 'trail'. The 'trail' is
        an ordered list of the path components below the consumer entry
        point.
        """
        path_chain = request['path_chain']
        if not path_chain or path_chain[0] != '':
            # no path or not an absolute path
            raise HTTPError(400)

        # auth framework here
        authers = config.get('authenticators')
        if authers is None:
            raise HTTPError(403)
        valid_once = False
        for auth in authers:
            valid = authers[auth].handle(request)
            if valid is False:
                raise HTTPError(403)
            elif valid is True:
                valid_once = True
        if valid_once is not True:
            self.server.auditlog.svc_access(self.__class__.__name__,
                                            log.AUDIT_SVC_AUTH_FAIL,
                                            request['client_id'], 'No auth')
            raise HTTPError(403)

        # auhz framework here
        authzers = config.get('authorizers')
        if authzers is None:
            raise HTTPError(403)
        authz_ok = None
        for authz in authzers:
            valid = authzers[authz].handle(request)
            if valid is True:
                authz_ok = True
            elif valid is False:
                authz_ok = False
                break
        if authz_ok is not True:
            self.server.auditlog.svc_access(self.__class__.__name__,
                                            log.AUDIT_SVC_AUTHZ_FAIL,
                                            request['client_id'],
                                            path_chain)
            raise HTTPError(403)

        # Select consumer
        trail = []
        while path_chain:
            if path_chain in config['consumers']:
                con = config['consumers'][path_chain]
                if len(trail) != 0:
                    request['trail'] = trail
                return con.handle(request)
            trail.insert(0, path_chain[-1])
            path_chain = path_chain[:-1]

        raise HTTPError(404)
The pipeline() function handles authentication and invocation of
        the correct consumer based on the server configuration, that is
        provided at initialization time.

        When authentication is performed all the authenticators are
        executed. If any returns False, authentication fails and a 403
        error is raised. If none of them positively succeeds and they all
        return None then also authentication fails and a 403 error is
        raised. Authentication plugins can add attributes to the request
        object for use of authorization or other plugins.

        When authorization is performed and positive result will cause the
        operation to be accepted and any negative result will cause it to
        fail. If no authorization plugin returns a positive result a 403
        error is returned.

        Once authentication and authorization are successful the pipeline
        will parse the path component and find the consumer plugin that
        handles the provided path walking up the path component by
        component until a consumer is found.

        Paths are walked up from the leaf to the root, so if two consumers
        hang on the same tree, the one closer to the leaf will be used. If
        there is a trailing path when the conumer is selected then it will
        be stored in the request dicstionary named 'trail'. The 'trail' is
        an ordered list of the path components below the consumer entry
        point.