Authentication FAQ: Difference between revisions

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== Whats going on here? ==
== Do I need an account to share data with iDigBio? ==


iDigBio is trying out an authentication scheme we call "Social Authentication", this means that instead of requiring a username and password to log in, you can use one of the accounts you probably already have to sign in.
No, you do not need an account to share specimen data with iDigBio.  To begin the process of sharing specimen-related data with iDigBio, contact data@idigbio.org.


== How does all this work? ==
== Do I need to register? ==
Registering with idigbio.org provides you with access to three iDigBio systems.
# idigbio.org is a Drupal CMS (Content Management System) that gives you access to post to forums, upload documents and submit forms, depending on your role.
# idigbio.org/wiki is a MediaWiki system to which anyone can contribute and share issues, experiences, and ideas.
# idigbio.org/portal is our specimen portal which currently collects dataset registration information.


When you click the sign in link, we redirect your browser to a special URL for each provider. This URL asks the provider to sign you into your account if you're not signed in already. Your provider then looks to see if you've previously indicated that you trust iDigBio, and if you haven't the provider asks you if you want to trust us. Once you've agreed to the trust relationship, the provider sends you back to our website with a unique identifier that we can use to associate your provider account with your iDigBio account  
== Does this mean I have to log in multiple times? ==
No, iDigBio has single sign-on capability which means that once you are logged in, you can access all systems. Behind the scenes, the authentication service provides your browser with an OpenID that it uses to log into all systems. You never have to know your assigned OpenID.
Once logged in, you can manage your account information by going to: https://www.idigbio.org/login/account


== Is this safe? ==
== Does this give me an OpenID and can I use it on other sites? ==
Yes, you do have an OpenID, however the service is currently only guaranteed to work for authentication between iDigBio systems.
You can attemp to use your private idigbio.org OpenID with external openID.
Your OpenID here: https://www.idigbio.org/login/id/{your_login}


Yes. iDigBio never sees your provider username and password, and all communication with the provider is done via standards compliant communication channels. The communities developing these standards have put a lot of effort into them to make sure that they are both secure, and pass only the minimum amount of information necessary to complete the transaction. The providers are also supposed to provide you the ability to cancel a trust relationship at any time, so you could in theory disassociate your provider account with iDigBio without even visiting our site.  
== How do I get an account? ==
Go to https://www.idigbio.org/login/accounts/new to register with idigbio.org. Once your account is created you will be sent an email to activate it.  
The login name that you chose will be all you need to access all our systems (Drupal, Wiki and Portal).  


== I was asked to provide you access to X, what do you need that for? ==
== How do I view my account info? ==
Once logged in, you can manage your account information by going to: https://www.idigbio.org/login/account


Many of the provider interfaces we're using were designed to allow developers to create applications that interact with your provider account for you. iDigBio requests the minimum permissions possible when connecting to your account, but sometimes this can still seem like a lot of access. Rest assured, iDigBio values its relationships with the community and the only thing we use this access for is authentication. The standards we're using for communication also require the user to be currently logged in for any account access, so if you're not currently logged in to iDigBio its impossible for us to do anything.  
== How do I change my account configuration? ==
Each system has its own account management interface to configure specific features. For example, for the Wiki, access 'Preferences' on the left top bar below the iDigBio navbar to set Wiki-specific features.


Different providers give us different levels of default access, so if you're still uncomfortable with the level of access we'd get from a specific provider, you can use a different provider, or simply use a username and password to sign in instead. The whole idea behind Social Authentication is to allow you flexibility with the way you identify yourself to us so that you can do whatever is most comfortable for you.  
== How do I reset my password? ==
Go to https://www.idigbio.org/login/accounts/reset


== How many identifiers can I have? ==
== I already have another OpenID from some other system, can I use it to log in to idigbio.org? ==
 
No, while our internal authentication service is based on a limited OpenID service our relying party clients are not open to external registration. This allows us to keep better control over spam registration.
You can have any number of Social Identifiers associated with your iDigBio account, including multiple accounts per provider.  
 
== How are you doing all this? ==
 
The provider authentication logic is provided by a php library called HybridAuth (http://hybridauth.sourceforge.net/). At its core, HybridAuth is a wrapper around the OpenID (http://openid.net/) and OAuth (http://oauth.net/) protocols.
 
Other notable technologies that we're employing are Twitter's Bootstrap (http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/) CSS framework and the Less (http://lesscss.org/) CSS pre-processor.

Latest revision as of 21:04, 24 June 2018

Do I need an account to share data with iDigBio?

No, you do not need an account to share specimen data with iDigBio. To begin the process of sharing specimen-related data with iDigBio, contact data@idigbio.org.

Do I need to register?

Registering with idigbio.org provides you with access to three iDigBio systems.

  1. idigbio.org is a Drupal CMS (Content Management System) that gives you access to post to forums, upload documents and submit forms, depending on your role.
  2. idigbio.org/wiki is a MediaWiki system to which anyone can contribute and share issues, experiences, and ideas.
  3. idigbio.org/portal is our specimen portal which currently collects dataset registration information.

Does this mean I have to log in multiple times?

No, iDigBio has single sign-on capability which means that once you are logged in, you can access all systems. Behind the scenes, the authentication service provides your browser with an OpenID that it uses to log into all systems. You never have to know your assigned OpenID. Once logged in, you can manage your account information by going to: https://www.idigbio.org/login/account

Does this give me an OpenID and can I use it on other sites?

Yes, you do have an OpenID, however the service is currently only guaranteed to work for authentication between iDigBio systems. You can attemp to use your private idigbio.org OpenID with external openID. Your OpenID here: https://www.idigbio.org/login/id/{your_login}

How do I get an account?

Go to https://www.idigbio.org/login/accounts/new to register with idigbio.org. Once your account is created you will be sent an email to activate it. The login name that you chose will be all you need to access all our systems (Drupal, Wiki and Portal).

How do I view my account info?

Once logged in, you can manage your account information by going to: https://www.idigbio.org/login/account

How do I change my account configuration?

Each system has its own account management interface to configure specific features. For example, for the Wiki, access 'Preferences' on the left top bar below the iDigBio navbar to set Wiki-specific features.

How do I reset my password?

Go to https://www.idigbio.org/login/accounts/reset

I already have another OpenID from some other system, can I use it to log in to idigbio.org?

No, while our internal authentication service is based on a limited OpenID service our relying party clients are not open to external registration. This allows us to keep better control over spam registration.

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