Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 10:29:10 +0000 (UTC) Message-ID: <1266954336.6107.1711621750292@ip-10-10-7-29.ec2.internal> Subject: Exported From Confluence MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_Part_6106_883630196.1711621750289" ------=_Part_6106_883630196.1711621750289 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: file:///C:/exported.html
Streamlining SP=
Onboarding Working Group
Janemarie Duh= span>
Currently, Iden= tity Provider Organizations (IdPOs) provide onboarding guidance for new Ser= vice Providers (SPs). This process has allowed the InCommon Federation to s= cale but has contributed to variability and low interoperability in SP conf= igurations. They also sometimes find themselves convincing an SP to join In= Common and having to explain the value proposition for federation. <= /p>
InCommon has a<= /span> Join InCommon page that contains information, but it isn=E2=80=99t = clear to campuses, VOs, or Sponsored Partners, including Net+ services, wha= t SPs should be doing to interoperate. A way to help Service Providers is t= o streamline the onboarding process to make it easier.
Having standard= s available that help SPs onboard will add to the value proposition for SPs= in the InCommon Federation and reduce variance in configuration and increa= se interoperability.
The goals of th= e working group are:
1. = Increase the clarity for organizations running SPs on what it m= eans to federate in InCommon
2. = Provide suggestions for how organizations can verify their SP c= onfigurations
3. = Reduce the burden on IdPOs to communicate the requirements
It is critical = to note that differing implementation profiles exist. The working group wil= l not redo work the community has already contributed in this area nor will= the work product contain only changes to existing profiles. It will = augment existing work by integrating similar information into the standards= that it produces. As a starting point, the working group will use the CIC Cloud Services Cookbook to identify and document standards for SP op= eration within InCommon.
The working gro= up will focus on identifying standards to reduce variance and improve inter= operability among SPs. The standards will allow SPs to be measured accordin= g to an essential standard. The practices will include a level above the ba= se that contains options such as applying for the Research and Scholarship = Category. The standards should differentiate between what is necessary (mus= t) and what is good to have (should) possibly determined by the type of SP.=
It is likely th=
at some current technical or operational recommendations may not appear in =
the latest version of the CIC Cookbook. Those will need to be accounted for=
and included in the configuration standards. The working group will differ=
entiate its output from existing implementation and deployment profiles whi=
le noting that the CIC Cookbook, for example, under the Technical Interoperability subsection
The target audi= ence for the working group is organizations that are running, or want to ru= n, an SP. It will be important for working group members to remain cognizan= t of the fact that most Service Providers in the Federation, whether noncom= mercial or commercial, support the mission of research and scholarship.
The standards w= ill apply to both education and research SPs and vendor (commercial) SPs. W= hen known, it must be made clear that a particular practice applies to a sp= ecific type of SP. InCommon drives interoperability for Net+ services, so t= hey are in scope. The Net+ program would like to be able to point SPs to a = testing service.
The publishing = and promotion of the final report containing the SP standards is not in sco= pe. A production strategy falls under the purview of the InCommon Federatio= n and will need to be strongly articulated in order for the work to add val= ue for SPs in the InCommon Federation.
There are impli= cations for IdPOs as well as SPs but they are out of scope for this activit= y. However, the standards will require significant review by IdPOs. =
Participation i= n the working group is open to all who are interested, including organizati= ons running IdPs or SPs. Institutions that have made suggestions to SPs on = software configuration or integration documentation will bring value to the= working group.
The Chair of th= e Working Group is appointed by the TAC and responsible for providing it wi= th updates on the group=E2=80=99s progress.
Define a standard set of technical vocabulary to a= id in the understanding of the configuration standards
Identify Service Provider implementation criteria = using the CIC Cloud Services Cookbook= a>
Document SP configuration standards including basi= c and optional levels that meet the requirements defined and scoped in the = previous sections
The working gro= up=E2=80=99s deliverables will be a net gain for IdPs as well as SPs becaus= e SPs that conform to standards also drive IdPs to conform. The result will= be better alignment of practices across the InCommon Federation and a decr= ease of variability in both SP and IdP configurations.
The= tentative end date of the Streamling SP Onboarding Working Group is late N= ovember to mid-December 2017. The configuration standards will need significan= t review by IdPs, as well as input from REFEDS. A paper is not expected in = time for TechEx (October 15-18) but plan to have a BoF-like discussion that= week.