14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has made available for download the first Release Candidate of Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) 2.0, which was formerly known as Geneva Server. With the RC development milestone, Microsoft has focused mainly on integrating early adopter feedback into the solution. In this regard, the company explained that the focus with AD FS 2.0 RC was to boost interoperability, as well as to make it easier and more cost effective to both deploy and manage the product.
Customers in need of an identity solution capable of “issuing and transforming claims, enabling federations, and managing user access,” can take advantage of Active Directory Federation Services 2.0. AD FS 2.0 is after all designed as a security token service (STS).
“Active Directory Federation Services 2.0 helps IT efficiently deploy and manage new applications by reducing custom implementation work, helping establish a consistent security model, and facilitating seamless collaboration between organizations with automated federation tools. The platform includes built-in interoperability via open industry standards and claims, and implements the industry Identity Metasystem vision for open and interoperable identity,” Microsoft explained.
In the video embedded at the bottom of this article, users will be able to see Matt Steele, senior PM in the AD FS team, talk about the new features that AD FS 2.0 brings to the table. Steele discusses the evolution of the identity solution from Microsoft, and touches up on how the company used customer input to better the product.
A member of the "Geneva" team enumerated some of the new additions to “the AD FS 2.0 RC:
• SAML 2.0 protocol support for Identity Provider Lite, Service Provider Lite and the eGov 1.5 Profile verified by Liberty Interoperable™ SAML 2.0 interoperability testing; • Simplified user experience for configuring high availability federation server farm and proxy deployments; • Automatic encryption and signing certificate distribution and rollover across a farm of multiple federation servers, enabling zero touch management of trust relationships • Choice of deploying without SQL Server for storing AD FS 2.0 configuration data; • Claims based authorization rules for restricting security token issuance; • Improved events, audits, and tracing for diagnostics; • Complete PowerShell support for end to end AD FS 2.0 management; • Lots of other fixes and UI improvements!”
Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) 2.0 (previously known as Geneva Server) release candidate (RC) is available for download here.