I’ve had a lot of folks ask me about Geneva lately. This post provides a quick summary of the different places I’ve looked to find out more about The Geneva Framework and Microsoft’s story for a building claims-based WCF services.

Please let me know if you have more suggestions for good content on the topic. I’m a big fan of Michele Bustamante’s writing style, so you notice there are a couple articles here from her. You can always check her out at http://www.dasblonde.net/

Here’s a quick summary of the story around Geneva:

 

"Geneva" Claims Based Access Platform
"Geneva" helps simplify access to applications and other systems with an open and interoperable claims-based model.

For developers: "Geneva" helps simplify user access for developers by externalizing access logic from applications via claims, and reducing development effort with pre-built security logic and integrated .NET tools.

For IT professionals: "Geneva" helps IT efficiently deploy and manage new applications by reducing custom implementation work, consolidating access management in the hands of IT, helping establish a consistent security model, and facilitating seamless collaboration between organizations with automated federation tools.

For information workers and consumers: Users can benefit from help navigating logins, managing different personas, and controlling how personal information is shared.

  • "Geneva" includes built-in interoperability via open industry standards and claims, and implements the industry Identity Metasystem vision for open and interoperable identity.
  • "Geneva" includes three components for enabling claims-based access. Beta 1 of the following components are now available for public evaluation:
  • "Geneva" Framework for building .NET applications that use claims to make user access decisions
  • "Geneva" Server security token service (STS) for issuing and transforming claims, enabling federations, and managing user access
  • Windows CardSpace "Geneva" for helping users navigate access decisions and for developers to build customer authentication experiences for users

Here’s some great resources fro reading up on Geneva:

 

WCF and claims-based security in Keith Brown’s Security Briefs column published in September 2007.

Windows CardSpace in "Identity: Secure Your ASP.NET Apps and WCF Services with Windows CardSpace".)

Geneva Framework white paper for developers written by Keith Brown and Sesha Mani.

This link contains a brief overview of Geneva and 3 different .pdf documents to download. This will provide you with an overview of the features in the Geneva Framework, as well as some background on claims-based security concepts, and explain how to enable these features in ASP.NET applications and WCF services, with an emphasis on the former.

Geneva Framework – Building A Custom Security Security Token Service by Michele Leroux Bustamante

Geneva Framework - A Better Approach For Building Claims-Based WCF Services by Michele Leroux Bustamante

History - formerly called "Zermatt."

Features:

  • Plumbing to build a custom Security Token Service (STS)
  • A mechanism to require federated authentication from ASP.NET applications
  • An object model that facilitates claims-based authorization for ASP.NET applications and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services.
  • Support for Windows CardSpace such as managed information card issuance and ASP.NET controls that simplify the creation of a Windows CardSpace login experience.

Geneva Framework spans the breadth of security features, but at its core is claims-based security. It is the new framework for building claims-based applications and services, and for implementing federated security scenarios.

WCF has always had native support for a claims-based security model.

The Geneva Framework:

  • Enhances and simplifies access to claims at run time.
  • Provides a mechanism to support claims-based authorization in a manner that is consistent with the role-based authorization principals already available in the Microsoft .NET Framework.

Thanks for checking out this post!

Cheers,
MurraySignature

Murray Gordon
ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation 
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