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{note:title=Community Review in progress!}
This document contains DRAFT material intended for discussion and comment by the InCommon participant community.  Comments and questions should be sent to the [InCommon participants mailing list|https://lists.incommon.org/sympa/info/participants] ([mailto:participants@incommon.org]).
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h2. A Checklist for IdPs Deployed in the InCommon Federation

Effective federation depends on IdPs that are both _interoperable_ and _trustworthy_. To this end, an IdP deployed in the InCommon Federation is expected to satisfy certain requirements. Some of these requirements are operational while other requirements pertain to the IdP's entity descriptor in metadata.

h3. Is your IdP secure and trustworthy?

A _trustworthy IdP_ is the basic building block of the InCommon Federation.

# All SAML exchanges are protected with XML Signature and/or TLS.
## SAML keys are securely generated and stored (see: [IdP Key Handling])
## SAML keys are not shared with other entities
# SAML assertions are signed using:
## a strong 2048-bit key
## the SHA-256 digest algorithm
# All browser-facing SAML endpoints are protected with TLS (see: [TLS Server Certificates])
## TLS certificates are trusted by the browser
## TLS keys are securely generated and stored
# The IdP's Logo URL is protected with TLS

{warning:title=Protect your private keys!}
Maintain positive control of your private keys at all times. Most importantly, safeguard the IdP signing key, which protects _all Federation participants_ from the disastrous consequences of a key compromise.
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h3. Is your IdP interoperable?

By definition, an _interoperable IdP_ strives to provide an overall positive [federated user experience|Federated User Experience].

# Support SAML2 Web Browser SSO
# Publish a SAML2 {{SingleSignOnService}} endpoint that supports the HTTP-Redirect binding
# Publish long-lived, self-signed [certificates in metadata|X.509 Certificates in Metadata]
# Publish technical and administrative [contacts in metadata|Contacts in Metadata]
# Stabilize the following metadata elements:
## entityID
## Scope
## endpoint locations
## certificates
# Support at least the following user attributes:
## eduPersonPrincipalName (non-reassigned)
## eduPersonTargetedID (optional)
## mail (== ePPN)
## displayName
## givenName
## sn (surName)
# Stabilize the values of persistent identifiers (ePPN and ePTID)
# Adopt a measured [attribute release process|Attribute Release Process]
## \[Level 0 Interoperability\] release a persistent identifier to *all SPs*
## \[Level 1 Interoperability\] release a [minimal subset of the R&S attribute bundle|IdentityResearch Providersand thatScholarship Support R and Sfor IdPs] to *all R&S SPs*
## \[Level 2 Interoperability\] release a "standard" attribute bundle to *all InCommon SPs*
## \[Level 3 Interoperability\] release a "standard" attribute bundle to *all SPs worldwide*
# Test and monitor all SAML endpoints 24x7

{tip:title=Respond to all SAML AuthnRequests}
Respond to *all* SAML AuthnRequests, even if the response is nothing more than a SAML error. This gives the SP an opportunity to properly respond to errors.
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h3. Is your IdP discoverable?

A _discoverable IdP_ is an interoperable IdP with the following additional properties:

# Do *not* assert the {{hide-from-discovery}} entity attribute in metadata.
# Publish the following [user interface elements|IdPUIElements] in metadata:
## DisplayName
## Information URL (optional)
## Logo URL
# Publish an appropriate [error handling URL|Error Handling URL] in metadata

{div:style=padding-left:1.5em;padding-bottom:2.0ex;}Read more about [Discoverable IdPs]{div}

{tip:title=Support R&S}
Support the [Research & Scholarship Category|Research and Scholarship Category] of services *now*!
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