Microsoft Windows Identity Foundation Cookbook

Implementing security as a cross-cutting concern has several challenges. Consequently, modern software development practices and Service Oriented Architectures are alluding to the idea of claims-based Identity for access control. Microsoft’s Identity and Access Control paradigm leverages industry standard open specifications and provides tools, runtime and platform support for facilitating the development of claims-enabled applications.

Microsoft Windows Identity Foundation Cookbook explores real world scenarios on building claims-enabled .NET applications using Microsoft Windows Identity Foundation (WIF), Active Directory Federation Services 2.0 (AD FS 2.0) and Windows Azure Access Control Services (ACS).

This book covers all aspects of several real world challenges that professional developers face while enabling support for claims-based identity across interoperable platforms and building claims-enabled applications. The book then goes on to explore AD FS 2.0 and provides step-by-step details on how claims support is enabled in Microsoft’s server technologies.

The book starts by introducing you to the world of claims-based identity in .NET Framework 4.0. It then moves on to showcase the capabilities of the runtime and the associated SDK including the steps to perform identity delegation in ASP.NET MVC 3 applications, create WCF security token services, extend the runtime to provide support for SAML 2.0 specifications and use AppFabric as a trusted source for implementing access control. Further, the book explores AD FS 2.0 and features recipes showcasing steps to configure claims in Microsoft’s server technologies. It also features a chapter on some of the newer capabilities of the runtime including providing support for claims in Windows Workflow Foundation and Windows 8 Metro applications.

Windows Identity Foundation Cookbook provides a mix of recipes from basic to advanced to enable professional developers to implement claims-based identity in enterprise-wide scalable and interoperable applications.

What you will learn from this book

• Master the different ways to extend the available runtime for a customized claims-based Single Sign-On implementation across interoperable platforms.
• Understand Microsoft’s offering on claims-based identity.
• Get to grips with enabling claims-based access control in your ASP.NET MVC 3 applications.
• Extend the runtime to support OASIS SAML 2.0 profiles for security token exchange in Passive Federation scenarios.
• Leverage cloud based access control services in your application.
• Enable claims support in Windows Communication Foundation and provide your implementation of security token services.

Approach
This book is written in a simple, easy to understand format, with lots of screenshots and step-by-step explanations.

Who this book is for
If you are a .NET developer looking forward to building access control in your applications using claims-based identity, then this is the best guide for you. This book is also an excellent choice for professionals and IT administrators trying to enable Single Sign-On across applications within the enterprise, and in the cloud spanning interoperable platforms.

No previous knowledge on the subject is necessary, however a strong foundation in the C# programming language and .NET Framework 4.0 is expected. A good understanding of authentication and authorization concepts (Windows and Forms based) in .NET would also help.