An open discussion list for topics related to the eduGAIN interfederation service.

[Peter Schober <peter.schober AT univie.ac.at>]

* Tomasz Wolniewicz <twoln AT umk.pl> [2019-09-23 22:12]:
> eduGAIN validator was using a newer xml.xsd and the validation passed.
> 
> So what is the correct approach here?

As I said, the current Shibboleth SP release fails to load such
metadata. Sure, we can try to get that changed upstream and then wait
a few years until it's deployed everwhere where a Shib SP is running
today, hoping such XML will never occur in the meantime. And even when
it does and things break (SPs failing to update, leading to expired
metadata days or weeks later) we can still tell the SP owners that
we've let this error (or "former error") through on purpose because we
don't consider it an error any more and they should get their software
fixed. Let's see how that goes.

Or... we could be as conservative as possible in what we publish to
avoid any such breakage (to me that means not being liberal in what I
accept, too), esp. in cases that make no sense at all (such as empty
xml:lang="" XML attributes or other effects of improper tooling or
human errors, not concious decisions that the XML should in fact look
exactly like that).

But I've already made those choices for my (or our federation), it's
up to us all to decide how the MDS should behave being the man in the
middle. If the MDS allows it that doesn't mean we can't filter it out
in our local feeds, that merely raises the bar a bit further what it
means to particiate in eduGAIN for member federations.

Cheers,
-peter [ offline for the next days ]