Federated Services

Internet2 Federated Services combine multiple services, such as mailing lists and wiki, with the convenience of Single Sign-On (SSO). Follow the steps below to get started.

Quick Start

1. Visit the InCommon participants lists to see if your home organization, school or identity provider is an InCommon participant. If it is, proceed to step 2. If not, see step 6.
2. Click Log in anywhere it occurs on this page or in one of our federated applications, such as lists.internet2.edu, where you are given the option to "Click here to login with Incommon Federation." (see screenshot).
3. You will be redirected to the WAYF (Where are you from) page (see screenshot). Select your home organization from the drop-down list of organizations.
4. After making your selection, you will be redirected to your organization’s Single Sign-On (SSO) page. Enter in your Shibboleth or SSO ID and password and proceed to the federated service of your choice.
If you experience any difficulties:
5. Internet2 Federated Services require the release of certain attributes by your IDP. If your organization is listed and you have logged in but still cannot access the resource, it is possible your IDP is not releasing the reqired attributes. An attribute checker is available here: Shibboleth Attribute Release Checker.
6. If your home organization is not listed, click here or go to www.protectnetwork.org/pnidm/registration.html and obtain a Protect Network ID. (Why should I do this?) The link provided here will create a new window. Close it upon completion of registration to return to this page.
7. Return to the WAYF page by clicking Log in anywhere on this page or in one of our federated applications. Select ProtectNetwork from the list of organizations. Use your newly created ProtectNetwork ID and password when prompted. You will be redirected from there.
If you continue to experience any difficulties, please see our troubleshooting section. Thank you.

Troubleshooting

• My organization is not listed on the Where are you from (WAYF) page.
  The WAYF page lists organizations which subscribe to one of the Single Sign-On federations. You can check to see if your organization participates in InCommon, the US Higher Education Federation, by checking here: http://www.incommonfederation.org/participants/.
• I do not know my Single Sign-On username/password.
  Each organization handles the distribution of federated identities differently. If you've forgotten your username/password, or were never assigned one, there may be a link to request an SSO identity on the SSO page you are redirected to after you select your organization on the WAYF page. If that is not immediately apparent, a free Federated Identity is available to anyone with an email address through ProtectNetwork.
• I cannot access the WAYF page. I keep getting redirected to the SSO page, bypassing the WAYF page entirely.
  The WAYF page contains a drop-down box with options to remember your selected organization for up to a year. If you chose one of the "remember" options, you will be redirected to your organization until that period expires, bypassing the WAYF page. To see the WAYF page again, you must clear your browser cookies and cache. Here are methods for the most popular browsers:
  • Firefox – Choose Tools > Clear recent history (or Clear private data, depending on version) > Ensure Cookies, Cache, and Active Logins are all checked. You may uncheck everything else. Click Clear now.
  • Safari – Choose Safari > Preferences > Security > Show Cookies > Remove All
  • Internet Explorer – See Microsoft's guide for multiple versions of IE
• I have logged in but cannot access the service I want.
  Some Internet2 services are only available to members. If you receive a message denying you access because you are not from a member institution and believe you have received this message in error, please contact membership@internet2.edu and provide your username, organization and identity provider (if it is different from your organization, such as ProtectNetwork). You will never be asked to provide your password over email for this or any other service.
  

FAQ

• What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?
  A process in which a user provides a single set of credentials, such as one username/password, to gain access to multiple systems, as opposed to providing a set of credentials for each system. For example: A student at a university may have a different username and password combination for email, online registration, and Learning Management software such as Blackboard. With SSO, the student could log in once and have access to all of these services without having to provide a set of credentials for each service.
• What is a federation?
  A federation is an association of organizations that use a common set of attributes, practices and policies to exchange information about their users and resources in order to enable collaborations and transactions.
• What is InCommon?
  InCommon is the trust federation to which Internet2 belongs. For more about InCommon, please visit www.incommonfederation.org
• Why should I get a ProtectNetwork ID?
  A ProtectNetwork ID can be used to access Internet2 Federated Services as well as other federated services within InCommon's network.