or more readable: Shibboleth. In biblical times though, it could have serious consequences, when pronounced the wrong way.
„Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.“ (Judges 12,6 KJV)
Times have changed. Meanwhile Shibboleth is also the name of an authentication service. It is well established for many years, both within the German Research Network as well as internationally. The computing center of the TUHH offers Shibboleth since beginning of 2016.
Why should you care?
Many publishers offer Shibboleth for external access additionally to campus network authentication .
How does it work?
If you, for example, are at home (without VPN) and would like to access an e-book on SpringerLink you can “Log in via Shibboleth”. First select your home institution “TU Hamburg-Harburg”. This will automatically direct you to the login page of the computing center of the TUHH. After successful registration, you will be automatically directed back to the original page by Springer with access to all licensed content.
What’s the advantage?
The TUHH ID and password remains safe within TUHH. SpringerLink gets only two information: You belong to TUHH and you have registered with a valid password. Shibboleth also supports Single Sign On (SSO). So if you move on to another publisher page, for example, ScienceDirect by Elsevier, you will have immediate access to the licensed content. So with no additional software such as VPN installed you have access to protected resources from any computer, from any network.
Who can use Shibboleth?
Students and employees of TUHH are entitled for e-media use via Shibboleth. We are going to enable Shibboleth access as quickly as possible at the many providers of e-media. Progress is documented here..
Help needed?
We are happy to answer questions about e-media and Shibboleth. For problems with your TUHH please consult the Service Desk of the computing center.
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