Before You Begin
Refer to the SystemRequirements page for details on supported software platforms.
Be aware that Java typically relies on a blocking PRNG by default, and the IdP may be observed to start up very slowly if there is insufficient entropy available. There are various workarounds or ways to install better sources of entropy by altering jre/lib/security/java.security or using system properties, but they are platform-specific.
Use of JavaScript-based scripting requires the installation of an IdP plugin such as Nashorn, see PluginInstallation. This is necessary to compensate for the removal of the JavaScript engine from all supported versions of Java. This is not required to install the IdP but is often required when configuring various advanced features without use of Java directly.
See the SecurityAndNetworking page for introductory help in understanding the use of network ports, keys, and certificates.
A nice cross-platform GUI for manipulating Java keystores, PKCS#12 files, viewing certificates, etc., is Keystore Explorer. Most deployers, at least on Linux, tend to rely on OpenSSL’s command line for many such tasks.
Before you begin you should collect the following items and information:
a TLS key/certificate that you'll use to secure your browser-facing HTTP(S) connection on port 443
Assuming you plan to use the IdP for SAML support (as opposed to CAS support for example), you will need:
the entityID URL you want to use to name your IdP (the installer will suggest one from your hostname, but this very likely is not be a good choice)
the second- or third-level DNS subdomain to append to any "scoped" attributes, often the same as your organization's email domain
a source of SAML Metadata for the service providers your IdP needs to support (this could come from a "federation" of organizations you've joined, directly from the SP owners, or created and maintained by hand)
While the IdP is functional and testable using the Hello World feature, any “real” testing of SAML will require metadata.
If you have nothing else to use, the SAMLtest.ID site can help you get started, but if you're using it longer than a couple of weeks, you should rethink what you're trying to accomplish, and consider installing your own SAML Service Provider for testing (it does not need to be our implementation of course).
The installation process will suggest or generate the following information for you:
the IdP's entityID (which you can override as noted above)
separate self-signed key/certificate pairs for:
message signing
securing web service connections, generally on port 8443
encryption of data by other systems for decryption by the IdP
a secret key and key version file for securing cookies and other data produced by the IdP for its own use (this is a special Java keystore of type "JCEKS")
some initial sample metadata describing the IdP for use by partner SPs, once it's reviewed and supplemented
a default set of IdP configuration files based on this information
Windows Installation
On Windows, paths should always be specified using forward slashes ('/'). "DOS Devices" may be specified, e.g.:
-Didp.home=e:/opt/IdP
A specially packaged installer is available for Microsoft Windows that ensures files will have the correct line endings and optionally provides automated support for the use of Jetty and configuration against Active Directory. See the WindowsInstallation topic for instructions.
Non-Windows Installation
As noted, the IdP is a standard Java web application based on the Jakarta Servlet 5.0 specification and should run for the most part in any compatible servlet container, but official support is provided only for Jetty and Tomcat. Jetty is the strongly recommended option and is used by the primary team members in their production environments. As noted in the SystemRequirements , the Jakarta Servlet API is supported only by “later” containers as it is incompatible with the older long-time Java Servlet specifications.
Containers for which we have specific installation guidance are shown in step 1 below, including some that we do not officially support. Material specific to any container is provided as a convenience, and is not a substitute for the container's own documentation.
Prepare your Servlet container. Linux deployers may want to take a look at the old IdPLinuxNonRoot topic, which documents one way of using privileged ports. Some containers, such as Jetty, include alternatives. The links below are to (imperfect) examples provided by the project or by deployers. The list below is not reflective of the specific containers and versions we support, which is explicitly and only available on the SystemRequirements page.
Jetty 12.0 (largely untested)
Download the latest Identity Provider software package (the zip file has Windows line endings, the tarball Unix line endings).
Unpack the archive you downloaded to a convenient location. It will not be needed after installation.
Change into the newly created distribution directory, shibboleth-identityprovider-VERSION.
Run either bin/install.sh (on non-Windows systems) or bin\install.bat (on Windows systems).
The installation directory you provide will be referred to as
idp.homethroughout this documentation.The installation directory cannot be the source directory.
Deploy the IdP WAR file, located in war/idp.war. See the Servlet container preparation notes for examples on how to do this.
Property Driven Installation
NOTE Is it no longer possible to supply installation properties on the command line however, in comparison to V4, these is much more control available from the command line.
Properties have to be specified by the --propertyFile option. See below
Command line options
The install.sh & install.bat scripts support a limited number of command line options
Option | Description |
|---|---|
-t | This is either the location of an existing install (to be upgraded) or where to put a new install. |
--noPrompt | If set to true then an installation will fail rather than prompt for a missing property. |
--propertyFile | |
-h | DNS name of IdP Host. |
--scope | Scope that the IdP will assert |
-e | Entity ID of the new IdP |
-kp | Password for the generate Key Store. If a password is not specified and random string of characters is generated. |
-sp | Password for the generated Data Sealer. If a password is not specified and random string of characters is generated. |
-hc | The bean name of an http client to use (for Module and Plugin) operations |
-hs | The bean name of an HttpClientSecurityParameters to use |
The idp.conf.preoverlay and idp.initial.edit-webapp properties are no longer available.
A Quick Test
You can test that the IdP is properly installed and is at least running successfully in the container with the status command line utility (bin/status.sh or bin\status.bat).
If everything is working correctly, you should see output summarizing the environment and information about the IdP's state. This doesn't mean that you will be able to log into anything yet as you have not yet configured the IdP to use your organization's infrastructure, added metadata, etc.
Typical Next Steps
Review the top of the Configuration page to get some basic familiarity with the installation tree and how to use it.
Configure authentication.
Configure attribute resolution.
Try the Hello World feature for initial testing of authentication and attribute resolution.
Load SAML metadata for the service provider(s) with which you will interact and establish an appropriate attribute release policy.
Customize your login UI, error handling, etc.
Rebuilding the WAR file
To rebuild the WAR file, run the build command line utility (bin/build.sh or bin\build.bat) from the installation directory idp.home. Properties available are documented here.
Installing Plugins
Various extensions are also provided as plugins. IdP plugins are installed and interrogated using the plugin command line (bin/plugin.sh or bin\plugin.bat). See PluginInstallation for more details.