Hi guys, There has been a lot of interest [4] around auth related problems in CloudStach such as -- SSO/SLO (single sign on / log out), 2-factor authentication, role based network/IP/CIDR checking etc.
A lot of challenge in implementing them in CloudStack is because of two divergent authentication mechanisms (one that is username/password/cookie based, other which is api/secret keys or hmac/signature based). This thread tries to kickstart a project in that direction which will in short term try to implement a SAML2 plugin and in long term have a much better authentication framework. Let me start by briefly explaining what SAML2 [1] is -- it's an XML based authentication and authorization protocol widely used to implement single sign on service. Having a SAML plugin in ACS will give users and organization a new mode of authentication who already have such an infrastructure in place. A SAML based SSO infrastructure consists of three entities - user-agent (UA), service provider (SP) and identity provider (IdP). The UA is the user/browser, the SP is the application that the UA is accessing (i.e. Apache CloudStack UI) and the IdP is the identity service and does authentication and authorization, management of users among other things. IdP could be backed by LDAP, AD etc. For the scope of this feature, we only need to implement SAML SP plugin in CloudStack and use any free SAML 2.0 compliant IdP server [5] for testing. For this I researched and explored ways of implementing that and have a first draft which needs to be discussed and iterated in the ACS dev community. After comparing many opensource SAML 2.0 implementations, their security and stability, we'll use OpenSAML [2] which is the most stable and widely used Java implementation. Since within CloudStack, we've been using Spring (for DI etc.) I explored and found Spring security SAML extension [3] which fits perfectly and it too uses OpenSAML. I also have a working proof-of-concept general implementation using the above based on which I've put together a design document draft on this feature for your review: https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/CLOUDSTACK/SAML+2.0+Plugin There are some complex stories/cases around security and user management in CloudStack, some of which are listed under 'open ended questions' in the draft above most of which I'm not sure how to address. After first round of discussion, I'll go ahead with a basic implementation of this feature. The second phase will address broader use cases. Comments, questions, suggestions? References: [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAML_2.0 [2] https://wiki.shibboleth.net/confluence/display/OpenSAML/Home [3] http://projects.spring.io/spring-security-saml [4] John Burwell's talk on SSO in CloudStack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCR0TzrfCOM [5] https://idp.ssocircle.com/sso/UI/Login Regards, Rohit Yadav Software Architect, ShapeBlue M. +91 88 262 30892 | rohit.ya...@shapeblue.com Blog: bhaisaab.org | Twitter: @_bhaisaab Find out more about ShapeBlue and our range of CloudStack related services IaaS Cloud Design & Build<http://shapeblue.com/iaas-cloud-design-and-build//> CSForge – rapid IaaS deployment framework<http://shapeblue.com/csforge/> CloudStack Consulting<http://shapeblue.com/cloudstack-consultancy/> CloudStack Infrastructure Support<http://shapeblue.com/cloudstack-infrastructure-support/> CloudStack Bootcamp Training Courses<http://shapeblue.com/cloudstack-training/> This email and any attachments to it may be confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Shape Blue Ltd or related companies. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you must neither take any action based upon its contents, nor copy or show it to anyone. Please contact the sender if you believe you have received this email in error. Shape Blue Ltd is a company incorporated in England & Wales. ShapeBlue Services India LLP is a company incorporated in India and is operated under license from Shape Blue Ltd. Shape Blue Brasil Consultoria Ltda is a company incorporated in Brasil and is operated under license from Shape Blue Ltd. ShapeBlue SA Pty Ltd is a company registered by The Republic of South Africa and is traded under license from Shape Blue Ltd. ShapeBlue is a registered trademark.
