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This topic shows how to leverage the fallback aggregate, an important component of the metadata aggregates in the pipeline.

If something goes wrong while a potentially breaking change is being pushed through the metadata pipeline, a SAML deployment can temporarily point its metadata refresh process at the fallback aggregate and thereby gain some time while the issue is being addressed.

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Code Block
languagexml
titlePointing to the fallback aggregate
<MetadataProvider id="ICMD" xsi:type="FileBackedHTTPMetadataProvider"
   xmlns="urn:mace:shibboleth:2.0:metadata"
   metadataURL="http://md.incommon.org/InCommon/InCommon-metadata-fallback.xml"
   backingFile="%{idp.home}/metadata/InCommon-metadata.xml">

Note the above example configuration temporarily points away from the main production aggregate. It’s rarely necessary to fall back from the preview aggregate, which is intended for leading edge systems anyway. Indeed, some breakage is expected in a pre-production environment, by definition.

Warning
titleThe fallback aggregate is intended to be a transient solution
If you point to the fallback aggregate as documented here, don’t forget to revert to the main production aggregate in a timely manner. The fallback aggregate is intended to be a transient solution. If you never point away from the fallback aggregate, you lose the ability of falling back in the future.