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This article covers:
- SAML 2.0 Overview
- SAML 2.0 Set-Up
- Set-Up Requirements Provided by the Customer
- Set-Up Requirements Provided by BenchPrep
SAML Overview
Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, in particular, between an identity provider and a service provider. SAML is an XML-based markup language for security assertions (statements that service providers use to make access-control decisions).
At a high level, the authentication flow of SAML looks like this:
Key SAML 2.0 Concepts
- BenchPrep will act as the Service Provider (SP), which is the entity providing the service.
- The Customer will act as the Identity Provider (IdP), which is the entity providing the identities, including the ability to authenticate a user.
- Identity Provider Initiated (IdP-initiated) sign-in describes the SAML sign-in flow initiated by the Identity Provider to the Service Provider to assert the user's identity.
- This sign-in flow is BenchPrep’s preference. - Service Provider Initiated (SP-initiated) sign-in describes the SAML sign-in flow when initiated by the Service Provider, triggered when the user tries to access content or sign in directly on the Service Provider side.
- SAML Request is generated by the Service Provider to "request" an authentication. This is only applicable in SP-initiated sign-ins.
- SAML Response is generated by the Identity Provider and contains the actual assertion of the authenticated user.
SAML Set-Up
The SAML SSO method uses an XML document to send information about each individual user during login.
BenchPrep expects user information to be contained in the saml:AttributeStatement and saml:Subject elements in the SAML Assertion. Attributes that BenchPrep requires to create and manage the user account can be extracted from the XML via an attribute mapping. This mapping can be configured during planning & implementation.
SAML Response Attributes
For a SAML 2.0 SSO integration, BenchPrep expects the following learner information, at a minimum, to be sent in the login payload (key names are flexible):
- identifier: Typically a UUID, provided by the Identity Provider, this is the unique identifier of the user within the identity management system (must be unique)
- name: Learner’s fullname (can be provided as a collection of fields or one field)
- email: Learner's email (must be unique)
- course_slugs: If course authorization occurs via course slugs
Example XML
Technical Specifications for Course Authorization
Option 2: Course Slugs in Login Payload
Authorization data can be passed in the XML as an embedded JSON string in the mappable course authorization attribute, shown in the example XML above. This JSON must be in the format specified below.
JSON Schema specification:
Please Note: Regardless of the option chosen, course Authorization via SSO is the sole enrollment method and will override any existing enrollment specifications defined by users' Plans/Contracts.
Setup Requirements Provided by the Customer
In order to set up a SAML SSO integration, the following information is required:
| saml_metadata | Customer’s metadata for the SAML identity provider including certificate |
| Logout_url (optional) | Static URL in which to redirect the user after they logout from BenchPrep. This url can contain static query parameters if necessary but currently will not dynamically contain any user information. |
| Attribute mapping | Where user attributes included in the SAML response are extracted |
Mappable Attributes
| Attribute Name | Example |
|
identifier |
NameID |
| name | username |
| sis_id (optional) | |
| course_slugs | authorized_courses |
Setup Requirements Provided by BenchPrep
BenchPrep will provide the following:
| Service Provider saml_metadata |
BenchPrep’s XML metadata as the SAML service provider.
This XML is installed by the Customer as specified by the IdP.
The AssertionConsumerService entity in the XML metadata will contain a Location value that specifies where the User should be sent with the SAML Assertion |
