Configure SAML 2.0 Web SSO¶

In a single sign-on system there are two roles; Service Providers and Identity Providers. The important characteristic of a single sign-on system is the pre-defined trust relationship between the service providers and the identity providers. Service providers trust the assertions issued by the identity providers and the identity providers issue assertions based on the results of authentication and authorization of principles which access services on the service provider's side.

SAML 2.0 web browser-based single-sign-on profile is defined under the SAML 2.0 Profiles specification.  In a web browser-based SSO system, the flow can be started by the user either by attempting to access a service at the service provider, or by directly accessing the identity provider itself.

Preliminary configs¶

Follow the steps below to navigate to the federated authenticators configuration section.

Register an identity provider¶

1. Log in to the Management Console(https://<IS_HOST>:<PORT>/carbon) using admin/admin credentials.

2. Navigate to Main > Identity > Identity Providers > Add.

3. Enter an Identity Provider Name, Display Name, and Description.

4. Under the Federated Authenticators section, click SAML2 Web SSO Configuration.

   

5. Enter the following values as given below.

   Field	Description	Sample Value
   Enable SAML2 Web SSO	Selecting this option enables SAML2 Web SSO to be used as an authenticator for users provisioned to the Identity Server.	Selected
   Default	Selecting the Default checkbox signifies that SAML2 Web SSO is the main/default form of authentication. This removes the selection made for any other Default checkboxes for other authenticators.	Selected
   Service Provider Entity Id	This is the entity Id of the Identity Server. This can be any value but when you configure a service provider in the external IDP you should give the same value as the Service Provider Entity Id.	wso2is
   NameID format	This is the NameID format to be used in the SAML request. By default, it has urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:1.1:nameid-format:unspecified. But you can change this as per the identity provider.	urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:1.1:nameid-format:unspecified

   You proceed with the subsequent steps based on your preferred configuration mode.

Manual configs¶

To configure manually,

1. Perform the preliminary configs.

2. Enter the required values as given below.

   

   
   

   Field	Description	Sample Value
   Select Mode	Select the mode to decide the input method for SAML configuration. You can have manual configuration or Metadata data configuration where an .xml metadata file is uploaded.	Manual configuration
   Identity Provider Entity Id	This is basically the <Issuer> value of the SAML2 response from the identity provider you are configuring. This value must be a unique string among identity providers inside the same tenant. This information should be taken from the external Identity provider. In order to enable the <Issuer> validation in the SAML2 response from the IdP, open the /repository/conf/deployment.toml file and add the following configuration. [authentication.authenticator.saml.parameters] VerifyAsserstionIssuer: true	https://idp.example.org/idp/shibboleth
   SSO URL	This is the URL that you want to send the SAML request to. This information should be taken from the external Identity provider.	https://localhost:8443/idp/profile/SAML2/Redirect/SSO
   ACS URL	This is the identity provider's SAML2 ACS URL.	If not entered, the default ACS URL will be used.
   Enable Authentication Request Signing	Selecting this checkbox enables you to sign the authentication request. If this is enabled, you must sign the request using the private key of the identity provider.	Selected
   Enable Assertion Encryption	This is a security feature where you can encrypt the SAML2 Assertions returned after authentication. So basically, the response must be encrypted when this is enabled.	Selected
   Enable Assertion Signing	Select Enable Assertion Signing to sign the SAML2 Assertions returned after the authentication. SAML2 relying party components expect these assertions to be signed by the Identity Server.	Selected
   Enable Logout	Select Enable Single Logout so that all sessions are terminated once the user signs out from one server.	Selected
   Logout URL	If the external IDP support for logout you can select Enable Logout . Then you can set the URL of the external IDP, where you need to send the logout request, under Logout URL. If you do not set a value for this it will simply return to the SSO URL .	https://localhost:8443/idp/samlsso/logout
   Enable Logout Request Signing	Selecting this checkbox enables you to sign the logout request.	Selected
   Enable Authentication Response Signing	Select Enable Authentication Response Signing to sign the SAML2 responses returned after the authentication.	Selected
   Signature Algorithm	Specifies the ‘SignatureMethod’ algorithm to be used in the ‘Signature’ element in POST binding and “SigAlg” HTTP Parameter in REDIRECT binding. The expandable Signature Algorithms table below lists the usable algorithms and their respective URIs that will be sent in the actual SAMLRequest.	Default value: RSA with SHA1
   Digest Algorithm	Specifies the ‘DigestMethod’ algorithm to be used in the ‘Signature’ element in POST binding. The Digest Algorithms table below lists the usable algorithms and their respective URIs that will be sent in the actual SAMLRequest.	Default value: SHA1
   Attribute Consuming Service Index	Specifies the ‘AttributeConsumingServiceIndex’ attribute.	By default this would be empty, therefore that attribute would not be sent unless filled.
   Enable Force Authentication	Enable force authentication or decide from the incoming request. This affects ‘ForceAuthn’ attribute.	Default value: As Per Request
   Include Public Certificate	Include the public certificate in the request.	Selected by default
   Include Protocol Binding	Include ‘ProtocolBinding’ attribute in the request.	Selected by default
   Include NameID Policy	Include ‘NameIDPolicy’ element in the request.	Selecte d by default
   Include Authentication Context	Include a new ‘RequestedAuthnContext’ element in the request, or reuse from the incoming request.	Default value: Yes
   Authentication Context Class	Choose an Authentication Context Class Reference (AuthnContextClassRef) to be included in the requested authentication context from the Identity Server which specifies the authentication context requirements of authentication statements returned in the response. Authentication Context Class table below lists the usable classes and their respective URIs that will be sent in the SAMLRequest from the Identity Server to trusted IdP.	Default value: PasswordProtectedTransport .
   Authentication Context Comparison Level	Choose the Requested Authentication Context ‘Comparison’ attribute to be sent which specifies the comparison method used to evaluate the requested context classes or statements. If Comparison is set to "exact" or omitted, then the resulting authentication context in the authentication statement MUST be the exact match of at least one of the authentication contexts specified. If Comparison is set to "minimum", then the resulting authentication context in the authentication statement MUST be at least as strong (as deemed by the responder) as one of the authentication contexts specified. If Comparison is set to "better", then the resulting authentication context in the authentication statement MUST be stronger (as deemed by the responder) than any one of the authentication contexts specified. If Comparison is set to "maximum", then the resulting authentication context in the authentication statement MUST be as strong as possible (as deemed by the responder) without exceeding the strength of at least one of the authentication contexts specified.	Default value: Exact
   SAML2 Web SSO User Id Location	Select whether the User ID is found in 'Name Identifier' or if it is found among claims. If the user ID is found among the claims, it can override the User ID Claim URI configuration in the identity provider claim mapping section .	User ID found among claims
   HTTP Binding	Select the HTTP binding details that are relevant for your scenario. This refers to how the request is sent to the identity provider. HTTP-Redirect and HTTP-POST are standard means of sending the request. If you select As Per Request it can handle any type of request.	HTTP-POST
   Response Authentication Context Class	Select As Per Response to pass the AuthnContextClassRef received from the configured identity provider to the service provider. Select Default to pass the default AuthnContextClassRef instead. The AuthnContextClassRef specifies how the user has been authenticated by the IdP (e.g. via username/password login, via certificate etc.)	As Per Response
   Additional Query Parameters	This is necessary if you are connecting to another Identity Server or application. Sometimes extra parameters are required by this IS or application so these can be specified here. These will be sent along with the SAML request. Info If you want to send query parameters that need to be updated dynamically with each SAML request, the value needs to be defined within parenthesis.This value should be the key of the query parameter sent in the SAML request URL. Example: locale={lang} Multiple parameters can be defined by separation of query parameters using the & character. Example: locale={lang}&scope=openid email profile	paramName1=value1

3. Click Register.

File-Based configs¶

To configure through file upload:

1. Perform the preliminary configs.

2. Enter the required values as given below.

   

   
   

   Field	Description	Sample Value
   Select Mode	Select the mode to decide the input method for SAML configuration. You can have manual configuration or Metadata data configuration where an .xml metadata file is uploaded.	Metadata File Configuration
   File Location	This is to upload the IdP metadata file.	Sample <EntityDescriptor xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:metadata" entityID="example.com"> <IDPSSODescriptor WantAuthnRequestsSigned="false" protocolSupportEnumeration="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:protocol"> <KeyDescriptor use="signing"> <KeyInfo xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#"> <X509Data> <X509Certificate> -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIC+jCCAmOgAwIBAgIJAParOnPwEkKjMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAMIGKMQswCQYD VQQGEwJMSzEQMA4GA1UECBMHV2VzdGVybjEQMA4GA1UEBxMHQ29sb21ibzEWMBQG A1UEChMNU29mdHdhcmUgVmlldzERMA8GA1UECxMIVHJhaW5pbmcxLDAqBgNVBAMT I1NvZnR3YXJlIFZpZXcgQ2VydGlmaWNhdGUgQXV0aG9yaXR5MB4XDTEwMDcxMDA2 MzMwM1oXDTI0MDMxODA2MzMwM1owdjELMAkGA1UEBhMCTEsxEDAOBgNVBAgTB1dl c3Rlcm4xEDAOBgNVBAcTB0NvbG9tYm8xFjAUBgNVBAoTDVNvZnR3YXJlIFZpZXcx ETAPBgNVBAsTCFRyYWluaW5nMRgwFgYDVQQDEw9NeSBUZXN0IFNlcnZpY2UwgZ8w DQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADgY0AMIGJAoGBAN6bi0llFz+R+93nLLK5BmnuF48tbODp MBH7yGZ1/ESVUZoYm0GaPzg/ai3rX3r8BEr4TUrhhpKUKBpFxZvb2q+yREIeDEkD bHJuyVdS6hvtfa89WMJtwc7gwYYkY8AoVJ94gU54GP2B6XyNpgDTXPd0d3aH/Zt6 69xGAVoe/0iPAgMBAAGjezB5MAkGA1UdEwQCMAAwHQYDVR0OBBYEFNAwSamhuJSw XG0SJnWdIVF1PkW9MB8GA1UdIwQYMBaAFNa3YmhDO7BOwbUqmYU1k/U6p/UUMCwG CWCGSAGG+EIBDQQfFh1PcGVuU1NMIEdlbmVyYXRlZCBDZXJ0aWZpY2F0ZTANBgkq hkiG9w0BAQUFAAOBgQBwwC5H+U0a+ps4tDCicHQfC2SXRTgF7PlAu2rLfmJ7jyoD X+lFEoWDUoE5qkTpMjsR1q/+2j9eTyi9xGj5sby4yFvmXf8jS5L6zMkkezSb6QAv tSHcLfefKeidq6NDBJ8DhWHi/zvC9YbT0KkCToEgvCTBpRZgdSFxTJcUksqoFA== -----END CERTIFICATE----- </X509Certificate> </X509Data> </KeyInfo> </KeyDescriptor> <KeyDescriptor use="encryption"> <KeyInfo xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#"> <X509Data> EwpDYWxpZm9ybmlhMRQwEgYDVQQHEwtTYW50YSBDbGFyYTEeMBwGA1UEChMVU3VuIE1pY3Jvc3lz dGVtcyBJbmMuMRowGAYDVQQLExFJZGVudGl0eSBTZXJ2aWNlczEcMBoGA1UEAxMTQ2VydGlmaWNh dGUgTWFuYWdlcjAeFw0wNzAzMDcyMjAxMTVaFw0xMDEyMDEyMjAxMTVaMDsxFDASBgNVBAoTC2V4 YW1wbGUuY29tMSMwIQYDVQQDExpMb2FkQmFsYW5jZXItMy5leGFtcGxlLmNvbTCBnzANBgkqhkiG HREEETAPgQ1tYWxsYUBzdW4uY29tMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBAUAA0EAEgbmnOz2Rvpj9bludb9lEeVa OA46zRiyt4BPlbgIaFyG6P7GWSddMi/14EimQjjDbr4ZfvlEdPJmimHExZY3KQ== </X509Data> </KeyInfo> </KeyDescriptor> <ArtifactResolutionService isDefault="true" index="0" Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:SOAP" Location="https://example.com/SAML/Artifact"/> <SingleLogoutService Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:SOAP" Location="https://example.com/SAML/SLO/SOAP"/> <SingleLogoutService Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:HTTP-Redirect" Location="https://example.com/SAML/SLO/Browser" ResponseLocation="https://example.com/SAML/SLO/Response"/> <SingleLogoutService Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:HTTP-Redirect"/> <SingleLogoutService Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:SOAP"/> <ManageNameIDService Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:HTTP-Redirect" ResponseLocation="https://example.com:9443/amserver/IDPMniRedirect/metaAlias/idp"/> <ManageNameIDService Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:SOAP" Location="https://example.com:9443/amserver/IDPMniSoap/metaAlias/idp"/> <NameIDFormat> urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:nameid-format:persistent </NameIDFormat> <NameIDFormat> urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:nameid-format:transient </NameIDFormat> <SingleSignOnService Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:HTTP-Redirect" Location="https://example.com:9443/amserver/SSORedirect/metaAlias/idp"/> <SingleSignOnService Binding="urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:bindings:SOAP" Location="https://example.example.com:9443/amserver/SSOSoap/metaAlias/idp"/> </IDPSSODescriptor> </EntityDescriptor>

3. Click Register.

Advanced configs¶