UW IdP Metadata


This document describes the options for a Service Provider to obtain UW IdP metadata. Recommendations based on specific use cases are provided.

Background

The UW is part of InCommon and publishes its IdP metadata with the federation. Metadata can be consumed from InCommon in one of two ways: In addition to publishing IdP metadata with InCommon, the UW publishes a signed metadata file at a local IdP endpoint. This can provide a good option for some use cases.

Options and Recommendations

The option to use for obtaining IdP metadata depends on what an SP needs to do (integrate only with the UW IdP or multiple InCommon IdPs) and what metadata capabilities it has (e.g. MDQ support). The table below outlines some use cases and makes recommendations for each. The links in the table provide instructions for each configuration option.
Service Provider Capability Service Provider Integration Requirement
Integrate only with the UW IdP Integrate with multiple InCommon IdPs
SP supports MDQ protocol Use the InCommon Per-Entity Metadata Service Use the InCommon Per-Entity Metadata Service
SP lacks MDQ support Use the local UW IdP metadata endpoint Use the InCommon metadata aggregate file
SP lacks MDQ support and can't directly use a multi-entity aggregate file Use the local UW IdP metadata endpoint Parse the InCommon metadata aggregate file to create individual metadata files for each IdP or to manually enter into the SPs configuration UI. Can use the the local metadata endpoint for the UW IdP, but this won't help you with any other IdPs.