Microsoft Code Name “Geneva”

Microsoft code name “Geneva” is an open platform for simplified user access based on claims. This release consists of three components: Windows Identity Foundation for .NET developers, Active Directory Federation Services 2.0 for IT Pros, and Windows CardSpace 2.0 for users.

The Claims Based Access Platform whitepaper by David Chappell provides an in depth look at all of the components of the “Geneva” platform. A brief data sheet providing an overview of the Geneva platform including system requirements is also available.

We have download areas on microsoft.com for the whitepapers and installation downloads for all of the products. The download section here on Connect contains additional supporting documentation.

Below are the links to additional information and downloads about each component of the Geneva platform.

Active Directory Federation Services 2.0

Active Directory Federation Services 2.0 is an STS for IT that issues and transforms claims and other tokens, manages user access, and enables easy federation. To learn more about how “Geneva” Server works, and its role in the claims based access platform, see the David Chappell Whitepaper.

Announcing the AD FS 2.0 Release Candidate and More!

We are happy to announce several updated federated identity product releases that are available NOW!

·          Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) 2.0 (previously known as Geneva Server) release candidate (RC).

·          Microsoft Federation Extensions for SharePoint 3.0 RC

These are available on the Microsoft Download Center.

Additionally, available for download from this Connect site, in the downloads section:

·         AD FS 2.0 RC Release Notes

·         AD FS 2.0 Getting Started Guide

·         Step by Step Guide for Single Sign-On to Microsoft Online

·         Virtual machine downloads for the following step by step guides listed here

·         Step by Step Guide for Federated Document Collaboration Using MOSS 2007 and AD FS 2.0

·         Step by Step Guide for Identity Delegation with AD FS 2.0 and WIF

·         AD FS 2.0 SDK

Windows CardSpace 2.0

Windows CardSpace 2.0 is for helping users navigate access decisions. To learn more about how CardSpace works, and its role in the claims based access platform, see the David Chappell Whitepaper.

         Announcing the Windows CardSpace 2.0 Beta 2 Refresh!

The Beta 2 release of Windows CardSpace 2.0 has been refreshed with a variety of fixes and improvements for working seamlessly with AD FS 2.0.  We’ve improved interoperability and added a feature for automatic logon to the STS with CardSpace.  The release can be downloaded here, and for more information about streamlining authentication with CardSpace, you can explore the topic Automatically Distribute Information Cards by Using Group Policy. 

The product team is anxious to hear about your experiences and feedback for these releases.  Please send any questions or comments about AD FS 2.0, Microsoft Federation Extensions for SharePoint 3.0, and Windows CardSpace 2.0 to the product team via our forum or support email address. We will continue to announce updates on our website and here on our team blog. 

Use these releases to take advantage of claims-based identity across your infrastructure and applications today!

Windows Identity Foundation

The Windows Identity Foundation helps developers build claims aware .NET applications that externalize user authentication from the application, plus custom security token services (STS). This is a freely available released product. Learn more about it in the Windows Identity Foundation Whitepaper for Developers.

Announcing WIF support for Windows Server 2003 !

We are glad to announce that Windows Identity Foundation (WIF) RTW for Windows Server 2003 is available NOW! This release supports both Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Server 2003 R2 platforms and following seven languages: English (en-us), German (de-DE), Spanish (es-ES), French (fr-FR), Italian (it-IT), Dutch (nl-NL), and Japanese (ja-JP).

You can download the language specific WIF RTW packages for Windows Server 2003 from here.

If you are looking WIF packages for following operating systems check out here.

·         Windows 7

·         Windows Server 2008 R2

·         Windows Server 2008 SP2

·         Windows Vista SP2

Additionally, available for download from this Connect site:

·         Changes in final release from Beta 2

·         Runtime setup

o    Windows 2003

o    Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2

§  amd64

§  x86

o    Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

§  amd64

§  x86

·         SDK setup (requires runtime)

o    Windows 2003

o    Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

§  amd64 / x86

We want to hear from you!

Discuss the Products and Your Experience in our MSDN Forum

Please use the "Geneva" forum at MSDN to ask questions and discuss your experience directly with the product team.

Review, Rate, Vote and Submit New Product Suggestions in the Feedback Section

The Federated Identity team is interested in your suggestions and ideas of how to make the product better. We rely on the community to vote and rate these suggestions to help the team prioritize what is important. Please use the Feedback option on the left to access existing feedback and to submit new issues and suggestions.

Please take the time to search for existing suggestions prior to submitting a new idea, as it is easier to tabulate the votes if there aren't a bunch of duplicate / similar suggestions.

Note: The Federated Identity team reviews these suggestions on a periodic basis to understand the top ideas from the community. Due to the volume of feedback, the team cannot commit to respond to each suggestion.

Support and Troubleshooting

For specific support and troubleshooting please email us directly.

We look forward to hearing from you,
The Federated Identity Team