InCommon Partnership Frequently Asked Questions
As part of a user-driven community, InCommon participants, from time to time, shepherd a particular joint project into being. How do such partnerships happen and what support does InCommon provide?
What are partnerships?
Partnerships involve one or more InCommon Identity Providers (IdPs) working directly with a Service Provider (SP) to federate a service. An example is the National Institutes for Health (NIH) showing an interest in federating some of their applications. Universities and medical schools with an existing working relationship with NIH helped to implement the federated application.
How do partnerships form?
Partnerships typically form in one of two ways:
1. Partnerships develop on their own, resulting from the natural, regular interaction of federation participants.
2. Some group of InCommon participants gets together to shepherd a particular joint project into being.
Many partnerships begin as bilateral relationships, then other community members become interested and the partnership expands.
What services does InCommon provide such partnerships?
InCommon will provide an email list, wiki pages, and conference call dial-strings for partnerships. InCommon helps to gather the resources and experience available from dozens of people who have years of experience in federated applications.
Whom should I contact for more information on encouraging partnerships?
Contact the InCommon Federation at incommon-admin AT incommonfederation DOT org. Typically, the InCommon/Internet2 staff can help IdPs or SPs find one or more partners interested in an application.
What types of questions will potential partners want to know?
- the name of the application and a description of its use
- types of users
- the type of business to which the application applies
- the level of assurance desired (InCommon Bronze or Silver)
- the desired attributes
If I have an application (as a Service Provider), how do I contact IdPs within the federation and ask them to participate?
An excellent method for contacting IdPs within the federation is the InCommon Participants mailing list. You will likely find interested parties, as well as a community ready to help you federate your application. If you are an InCommon participant, you may already be subscribed to the list (InCommon-Participants AT incommonfederation DOT org).
Is there some sort of approval process for partnerships?
No. That's one of the benefits of a distributed federation like InCommon. Our service is primarily community driven, encouraging participants to federate as much as they wish. When IdPs and SPs are InCommon participants, they need only agree on the attributes to be released.