Shibboleth has now been integrated into the JANET Videoconferencing Booking Service, providing additional functionality for its users.
Shibboleth allows authentication and authorisation of users to take place at the home organisation, typically a user’s University, College, Local Authority or RBC. This reduces the need to release an individual’s personal details when logging onto the booking service. Instead the system recognises a user by their role or status within an organisation, e.g. ‘Student’
Shibboleth is the technology used by the UK Access Management Federation operated by JANET(UK). By joining the federation users need only remember one username and password to access the JANET Videoconferencing booking service and all other services available to UK federation members. A list of services currently available can be found on the federation website.
Users from organisations who have not yet joined the UK federation can continue to use the JVCS Booking system as before. (Organisations that have joined the UK federation can also continue to use the existing method of accessing the Booking System.)
If you are unsure whether your organisation has joined the UK federation, a list of current members is available. More information about joining the federation is available.
Shibboleth integration into the AGSC and OnDemand conferencing booking services is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
JISCmail has joined the UK Access Management Federation as a Service Provider so that users of JISCmail can now make use of the Shibboleth Single Sign on infrastructure, allowing individuals to have a single set of credentials at their home organisation to authenticate them to the mailing list service and other Shibboleth enabled services. This will ease the burden on people having to remember multiple usernames and passwords for each service they access.
There are a few simple steps that you need to go through to associate your current JISCmail login with your Shibboleth identity. These are documented on the JISCmail help pages at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/help/policy/shibmode.htm
For more information about Shibboleth, contact Louis Searchwell, Technical Specialist: Authentication & Authorisation.
