The Streamlining SP Onboarding Working Group will identify and document standards for Service Provider operation within the InCommon Federation using theCIC Cloud Services Cookbook as a starting point. Having standards available that help SPs onboard will add to the value proposition for SPs in the InCommon Federation and reduce variance in configuration and increase interoperability. The working group will not redo work that the community has already contributed. It will augment the existing profiles by integrating similar information into the standards that it produces.
The goals of the working group are to:
1. Increase the clarity for organizations running SPs on what it means to federate in InCommon
2. Provide suggestions for how organizations can verify their SP configurations
3. Reduce the burden on Identity Provider Organizations to communicate the requirements
Scope
The group will need to differentiate its output from existing implementation and deployment profiles. The working group is to note that the CIC Cookbook, under theTechnical Interoperability subsectionof Working within the Federation, directs both campuses and vendors to conform to the saml2int profile.
The target audience for the working group is organizations that are running, or want to run, an SP. It will be important for working group members to remain cognizant of the fact that most Service Providers in the Federation, whether noncommercial or commercial, support the mission of research and scholarship. The standards will apply to both education and research SPs and vendor (commercial) SPs. When known, it must be made clear that a particular practice applies to a specific type of SP. InCommon drives interoperability for Net+ services, so they are in scope. The Net+ program would like to be able to point SPs to a testing service. However, the standards will require significant review by IdPOs.
The Chair of the Working Group will be appointed by the TAC and is responsible for providing it with updates on the progress of the work. Participation in the working group is open to all who are interested, including organizations running IdPs and/or SPs.
End Date
The tentative end date for the working group is late November to mid-December.