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Automated Metadata Management
=============================

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  * Version: `$Id$`


Introduction
------------

If you want to connect an Identity Provider, or a Service Provider to a **federation**, you need to setup metadata for the entries that you trust. In many federation, in particular federations based upon the Shibboleth software, it is normal to setup automated distributed metadata using the SAML 2.0 Metadata XML Format.

Some central administration or authority, provides a URL with a SAML 2.0 document including metadata for all entities in the federation.

This document explains how to setup automated downloading and parsing of a metadata document on a specific URL.



Preparations
------------

You need to enable the following modules:

 1. cron
 2. metarefresh

The cron module allows you to do tasks regularly, by setting up a cronjob that calls a hook in simpleSAMLphp.

The metarefresh module will download and parse the metadata document and store it in cached local metadata files.

You also need to copy the `config-templates` files from the two modules above, into the global `config/` directory.



Testing to parse the metadata document
--------------------------------------

We'll use the SWITCH AAI Test Federation as an example in this document. This federation provides metadata on this URL:

	http://metadata.aai.switch.ch/metadata.aaitest.xml

I reccomend to first test on the command line to parse the metadata URL.

	cd modules/metarefresh/bin
	./metarefresh.php -s http://metadata.aai.switch.ch/metadata.aaitest.xml

We use the `-s` option to send output to console (for testing purposes). If the output makes sense, continue. If you get a lot of error messages, send an e-mail to the simpleSAMLphp list and ask for advice.


Below is the documentation provided by Nuno Gonçalves <nuno@fccn.pt>
Andreas Åkre Solberg's avatar
Andreas Åkre Solberg committed
Enabling the cron module
------------------------


	[root@simplesamlphp] cd /var/simplesamlphp/modules/cron 
	[root@simplesamlphp cron] touch enable
	[root@simplesamlphp cron] cp config-templates/*.php  ../../config/


At `/var/simplesamlphp/config`

	[root@simplesamlphp-teste config]# vi module_cron.php

edit:

	$config = array (
	       'key' => 'kb10fu2sao',
	       'allowed_tags' => array('daily', 'hourly', 'frequent'),
	       'debug_message' => TRUE,
	       'sendemail' => TRUE,
	
	);

Then: With your browser go to => https://simplesamlphp_machine/simplesaml/module.php/cron/croninfo.php

And copy the cron's sugestion: 

	-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Cron is a way to run things regularly on unix systems.
	
	Here is a suggestion for a crontab file:
	
	# Run cron [daily]
	02 0 * * * curl --silent "https://simplesamlphp-teste.fccn.pt/simplesaml/module.php/cron/cron.php?key=kb10fu2sao&tag=daily" > /dev/null 2>&1
	# Run cron [hourly]
	01 * * * * curl --silent "https://simplesamlphp-teste.fccn.pt/simplesaml/module.php/cron/cron.php?key=kb10fu2sao&tag=hourly" > /dev/null 2>&1
	# Run cron [frequent]
	XXXXXXXXXX curl --silent "https://simplesamlphp-teste.fccn.pt/simplesaml/module.php/cron/cron.php?key=kb10fu2sao&tag=frequent" > /dev/null 2>&1
		Click here to run the cron jobs: 
	
	Run cron [daily]
	Run cron [hourly]
	Run cron [frequent] 
	-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Add to CRON with

	[root@simplesamlphp config]# crontab -e



Errors
------

Problem with sanitycheck module

When executing [Run cron [daily]] ==> an error shows up 

Cause : module sanitycheck  ==> It is active by default (`/var/simplesamlphp/modules/sanitycheck/default-enable`) 

  * When executing Cron daily It will search all active modules and it executes the hook_cron.php for each one of them in :
		`/var/simplesamlphp/modules/<nome_modulo>/hooks/hooks_cron.php`

Meanwhile it is waiting that each module conf file exists in the folder: `/var/simplesamlphp/config/config-<nome_modulo>.php`

It should exist one for the sanitycheck module => `config-sanitycheck.php` but it wasn't there and therefore the error showed up.

Giving an error at this modules it aborted execution for the next active modules.



ENABLE MODULE METAREFRESH 
-------------------------

  * Enable cron module


At `/var/simplesamlphp/modules/metarefresh`


	[root@simplesamlphp metarefresh] touch enable
	[root@simplesamlphp metarefresh] cp config-templates/*.php  ../../config/



At `/var/simplesamlphp/config/`


	[root@simplesamlphp config]# vi config-metarefresh.php

edit:

	$config = array( 'sets' => array(
	
	       				'federation_name' => array(
							               'cron'          => array('hourly'),
							               'sources'       => array(
											          array(
	                               								'src' => 'http://metadata_server/Federation_metadata_file.xml'
										                       ),
	               									),
							               'maxCache'              => 60*60*24*4, // Maximum 4 days cache time.
							               'maxDuration'   => 60*60*24*10, // Maximum 10 days duration on ValidUntil.
							               'outputDir'     => 'metadata/federation_name/',
							       ),
	
			));



	TEMPLATE FILE : /var/simplesamlphp/modules/metarefresh/config-templates/config-metarefresh.php


	$config = array(
	
	       'kalmar' => array(
	               'cron'          => array('hourly'),
	               'sources'       => array(
	                       array(
	                               'src' => 'https://aitta.funet.fi/haka/haka_test_metadata_signed.xml',
	                               'certFingerprint' => '22:1D:EA:E3:2C:EB:A3:2D:78:72:B6:F4:E9:52:F6:23:31:5A:A5:3D',
	                               'template' => array(
	                                       'tags'  => array('kalmar'),
	                               ),
	                       ),
	               ),
	               'maxCache'              => 60*60*24*4, // Maximum 4 days cache time.
	               'maxDuration'   => 60*60*24*10, // Maximum 10 days duration on ValidUntil.
	               'outputDir'     => 'metadata/metadata-kalmar-consuming/',
	       ),
	
	);


At the Element sources the CERTFINGERPRINT => is for signed metadata ?
What is this variable for ?  TEMPLATE TAGS


  * Add write permissions to apache in 'outputDir'



Then configure your simpleSAMLphp installation to use the generated metadata: 

In config.php: 

	'metadata.sources' => array(
		array('type' => 'flatfile'),
		array('type' => 'flatfile', 'directory' => 'metadata/federation'),
	),