Re: [security-services] proposed SAML artifact definition

[Jeff Hodges <Jeff.Hodges@Sun.COM>]

ok, popping the veritable stack here...  thanks for all the comments on the 
defn for "saml artifact".


ScottC mused:
 > One might argue we should have just changed the name of the thing. ;-)

agreed ;)   But even if we named it differently, I don't think the definition 
would be any smaller.


anyway, here's the re-worked defn per comments. I added context-of-use and 
rationale information for hopefully obvious reasons...

   SAML artifact

     A small, fixed-size, structured data object pointing to a
     typically larger, variably-sized SAML
     protocol  message.   SAML artifacts are designed to be
     embedded in URLs and conveyed in HTTP  messages, such as HTTP
     response messages with "3xx Redirection" status  codes, and
     subsequent HTTP GET messages. In this way, a service provider
     may indirectly, via a user agent, convey a SAML artifact to
     another  provider, who may subsequently dereference the SAML
     artifact via a direct interaction with the supplying provider,
     and obtain the SAML protocol  message. Various characteristics
     of the HTTP protocol and user agent  implementations provided
     the impetus for concocting this approach. The HTTP
     Artifact binding section of [SAMLBind] defines both the
     SAML Artifact format and the SAML HTTP protocol binding
     incorporating it.






JeffH