OpenID for data portability in virtual world

Revision as of 08:54, 16 July 2008

What is OpenID

For OpenID related knowledge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenID

Foreign user login

In virtual world, To enable a foreign user authentication, What I can imagine is that there are 3 ways can be used.

• Import account from one GridService to another
• Use a central OpenID provider
• UserServer(OpenSim) acts as both RP and OP

Detailed explanations are following:

Import (copy an account information from one to another)

File:Openid auth 1.PNG

This is the most simple way, just copy an account from its original Gridservice to another, this can be done through webpages, and current OpenSim's Userserver already has a similar XMLRPC method (GetUserProfile) to do such thind, even though some security holes need to be filled.

Use a central OpenID provider

Just like in the web world, there are already lots of website enabled both legacy login and openid login,

• Example: https://sourceforge.net/account/login.php

UserServer can also support OpenID login, in this case, authentication can be delegated to OpenID providers.

• Advantages:
  1. User auth information is stored only in 1 place.
  2. no worry about your favorate name has been take.
  3. ... some other OpenID advantages

• Disadvantages:
  1. Current client need to be changed.(ver 1-18-6 is OK)
  2. In data portability theory [Avatar portability], not only the auth information, but also others (UUID, inventoryurl, asseturl) are needed.
  • OpenID has 2 extensions:
  1. 1. ax: http://openid.net/specs/openid-attribute-exchange-1_0.html
     2. sreg: http://openid.net/specs/openid-simple-registration-extension-1_1-01.html

these 2 extensions supports OpenID user to store its additional information, but there are only a few OpenID providers enabled these functions. as far as I searched,

• 1. 1. only myopenid.com: https://www.myopenid.com/ enabled both extensions.
     2. yahoo.com does not support any of the 2 extensions.

UserServer acts as both RP(Relying Party) and OP(OpenID Provider)