Overview
VOOT is a protocol for exchanging group information externally to applications. An effective standard for using external groups did not yet exist at the time of GN3; this led GN3 JRA3 T2 (Identity Federations Task) to define the VOOT protocol. It can be seen as making a subset of LDAP-like information available through a web service.
A virtual organisation (VO) of researchers operates beyond the institutional borders, often in an international context. Traditionally, the VO or group administrator must create and maintain a group for each service, which is cumbersome and error-prone. To ease the usage and to simplify maintenance, the use of an external group provider is a possible solution. In this way, the VO or group administrator only needs to maintain the group in one place.
This GN3plus-JRA3-T1 task continues the work on VOOT, with new implementations to support the different use cases, finalising the specifications and engaging with the relevant standards bodies to promote the protocol.
VOOT 1.0 : Based on a subset of the OpenSocial Protocol
VOOT 2.0 : Based as extension of the SCIM protocol - a protocol for cross-domain identity management, especially in cloud-based systems. The SCIM protocol is in the standardization track of the IETF and has a reasonable uptake.
Work Plan
• Finalise the specifications of the VOOT protocol(s).
• Test VOOT implementations to support different use cases.
• Test VOOT support in different Identity Federations and provide guidelines for this.
• Engage with the relevant standards bodies to promote the VOOT protocol.