ASP.NET SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) using PingFederate as IDP

ASP.NET SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) module gives the ability to enable SAML Single Sign-On for your ASP.NET applications. Using Single Sign-On you can use only one password to access your ASP.NET application and services. Our module is compatible with all the SAML compliant identity providers. Here we will go through a step-by-step guide to configure Single Sign-On (SSO) between ASP.NET and PingFederate considering PingFederate as IdP. To know more about the other features we provide, click here.

Pre-requisites: Download and Installation

• After integration, open your browser and browse the connector dashboard with the URL below:
  https://<your-application-base-url>/?ssoaction=config
• If the registration page or login page pops up, you have successfully added the miniOrange SAML SSO connector to your application.

• Register or log in with your account by clicking the Register button to configure the module.

Steps to configure ASP.NET Single Sign-On (SSO) using PingFederate as IDP

1. Configure PingFederate as identity provider

• You need to send your SP metadata to your identity provider. For SP metadata, use the SP metadata URL or download the SP metadata as a .xml file and upload it at your IdP end. You can find both these options under the Service Provider Settings tab.

• Alternatively, you can manually add the SP Entity ID and ACS URL from Service Provider Settings tab in the plugin to your IdP configurations.

• Login to your Ping Federate User Admin dashboard.
• Click on the Identity Provider in the left navigation menu.
• Under SP CONNECTION, click on Create New button.

• Select the Browser SSO Profiles connection template on the Connection Type tab and click Next.

• Select Browser SSO on the Connection Options tab and click Next.

• Select File as the method for importing metadata and click Choose file to choose the miniOrange SSO plugin’s metadata on the Import Metadata tab. Click Next.

• Review the information on the Metadata Summary tab and click Next.
• In the General Info tab ensure that the Service Provider’s Entity ID, Connection Name, and Base URL fields pre-populate based on the metadata. Click Next.
• Navigate to the Browser SSO tab and click on the Configure Browser SSO. You will be redirected to Browser SSO Setup wizard.

1) Select the IdP-Initiated SSO and SP-Initiated SSO options on the SAML Profiles tab and click Next.



2) Enter your desired assertion validity time from on the Assertion Lifetime tab and click Next. By default, it is configured 5 minutes for both.

3) Navigate to the Assertion Creation and click on the Configure Assertion Creation. You will be redirected to the assertion creation setup wizard.

• In the Identity Mapping tab select STANDARD and click Next.
• Select a Subject Name Format for the SAML_SUBJECT on the Attribute Contract tab and click Next.
• Click Map New Adapter Instance on the Authentication Source Mapping.

• Select an Adapter Instance and click Next. The adapter must include the user’s email address.

• Select the Use only the adapter contract values in the SAML assertion option on the Mapping Method tab and click Next.
• Select your adapter instance as the Source and the email as the Value on the Attribute Contract Fulfilment tab and click Next.

• (Optional) Select any authorization conditions you would like on the Issuance Criteria tab and click Next.
• Click Done on the Summary.
• Click Next on the Authentication Source Mapping tab.
• Click Done on the Summary tab.
• Click Next on the Assertion Creation
• Navigate to the Protocol Settings tab of the Browser SSO wizard and click on the Configure Protocol settings.
• Select POST for Binding and specify the single sign-on endpoint URL in the Endpoint URL field on the Assertion Consumer Service URL Click Next.

• Select POST on the Allowable SAML Bindings tab and click Next.
• Select your desired signature policies for assertions on the Signature Policy tab and click Next.

• Select your desired encryption policy for assertions on the Encryption Policy tab and click Next.
• Click Done on the Protocol Settings Summary tab.
• Navigate to the Credentials and click on the Configure Credentials. You will be redirected to the Credentials setup wizard.
• Select the Signing Certificate to use with the Single Sign-On service and select Include the certificate in the signature element in the Digital Signature Settings tab. Click Done.

• Click Done on the Summary.
• Click Next on the Credentials.
• Select Active for the Connection Status on the Activation & Summary tab and click Save.
• Now, navigate to the Ping Federate User Admin dashboardè Identity Provide.
• Click Manage All under SP Connections.
• Click Export Metadata for the desired service provider connection.
• Click Export on the Export & Summary tab and click Done.

2. Configure ASP.NET application as service provider (SSO Module)

Note: After installation of the plugin, we need to setup the trust between your ASP.NET application and PingFederate. SAML metadata is shared with PingFederate so they can update their inbuilt configuration to support Single Sign-On.

2.1: Share SAML Metadata with PingFederate

• Click on Add New IDP to configure ASP.NET Single Sign-On (SSO) with PingFederate.

• Under Service Provider Settings tab, you can either copy-paste the metadata URL on your IDP side or download the SP metadata as an XML file. Additionally, you have the choice to manually copy and paste Base URL, SP Entity ID, and ACS URL.
• Share SAML metadata with your identity provider.

2.2: Import PingFederate SAML metadata

• Select PingFederate from the list of identity providers shown below.

There are two ways detailed below with which you can configure your SAML identity provider metadata in the module.

A] Upload metadata using the Upload IDP Metadata button:

• If your identity provider has provided you with the metadata URL or metadata file (.xml format only), then you can simply configure the identity provider metadata in the module using the Upload IDP Metadata option.
• You may refer to the screenshot below:

• You can choose any one of the options according to the metadata format you have available.

B] Configure the identity provider metadata manually:

• After configuring your identity provider, it will provide you with IDP Entity ID, IDP Single Sign On URL and SAML X509 Certificate fields respectively.
• Click Save to save your IDP details.

You have successfully configured your ASP.NET application as a service provider.

3. Testing SAML SSO

• Before testing, please ensure the following:
• The ASP.NET (SP) SAML metadata has been exported to PingFederate (IDP).
• Importing the PingFederate (IDP) SAML metadata in ASP.NET (SP).
• To test whether the SAML configuration you’ve done is correct, hover on Select Actions and click on Test Configuration.

• Note: In the trial version of the plugin, you can only configure and test one identity provider (IDP).
• The screenshot below shows a successful result. Click on Done to further continue with the SSO Integration.

• If you are experiencing any error on the module end you’ll be shown with the window similar to below.

• To troubleshoot the error you can follow the below steps:
• Under Troubleshooting tab, enable the toggle to receive the plugin logs.


• Once enabled, you will be able to retrieve plugin logs by navigating to Identity Provider Settings tab and clicking on Test Configuration.
• Download the log file from the Troubleshoot tab to see what went wrong.
• You can share the log file with us at aspnetsupport@xecurify.com and our team will reach out to you to resolve your issue.

4. Integration Code

• This step allows you to specify the sso prefix of the session or claims parameter that will be used to access user attributes in your application.
• If you're still confused about how the integration steps work, take a look at the Setup Tour.

• Select the mode for storing SSO attributes, and you will now see the integration code based on the authentication method you selected and the language your application uses.
• Just copy-paste that code snippet wherever you want to access the user attributes.

• Note: This trial module only supports session-based authentication and User Claims is available in the premium plugin.
• Note: All the mapped attributes will be stored in the session so that you can access them in your application.
• If you want some assistance regarding the integration code, get in touch with us at aspnetsupport@xecurify.com

5. Login Settings

• Hover on Select Actions and click on Copy SSO Link.

• Use the copied link in the application from where you want to perform SSO:
  https://base-url/?ssoaction=login
• For example, you can use it as:
  <a href=”https://base-url/?ssoaction=login”>Log in</a>

6. Logout Settings

• Use the following URL as a link in your application from where you want to perform SLO: https://<your-application-base-url>/?ssoaction=logout
• For example you can use it as: <a href="https://<your-application-base-url>/?ssoaction=logout">Logout</a>

You can even configure the DNN SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) module with any identity provider such as ADFS, Azure AD, Bitium, Centrify, G Suite, JBoss Keycloak, Okta, OneLogin, Salesforce, AWS Cognito, OpenAM, Oracle, PingFederate, PingOne, RSA SecureID, Shibboleth-2, Shibboleth-3, SimpleSAML, WSO2 or even with your own custom identity provider. To check other identity providers, click here.

Additional Resources

• ASP.NET OAuth Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Web3 login for ASP.NET Applications
• DNN SAML Single Sign-On (SSO)
• DNN REST API Authentication
• nopCommerce SAML Single Sign-On (SSO)
• nopCommerce OAuth Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Umbraco SAML Single Sign-On (SSO)