OpenID

This topic describes how to use OpenID, particularly for signing into the aviangenomes.org web site.

What is openID?

OpenID is a web authentication scheme meant to make it easier for the user (you) to sign in to multiple web sites without having to keep track of 100 usernames and passwords. It also serves to verify your consistent identity on the web. It actually doesn't verify who you are, but it does verify that a certain account owner on one web site is the same account owner on another web site (since both web sites will have the same openID.)

How does openID work?

Participating web sites offer new users two ways to create an account:

1. Create a new username/password
2. Let the user use their pre-existing openID to create an account

When a user opts for #2 above, the web site sends the user to their openID provider, who authenticates the user, and sends the user back to the originating site with an openID "token." It typically lets you auto-fill information like your name and Email address, but it always lets you change or omit information you don't want to be given to the new web site. Once you are returned to the original web site, the new account is created.
Typically, once you've signed into openID once in your browser session, all web sites using this openID will become signed in. When you visit any openID site, it will already know who you are, similar to using a browser cookie, except that openID is usually encrypted and thus more secure than a cookie stored on your computer.
The next time you start a new browser session and try to log into an openID web site, it will take you to the openID provider authentication page, where you'll enter your username and password, then return you to the originating web site, logging you into that site. The mechanism prevents any web site from actually knowing your password, meaning you can have only one password for nearly all web sites!

Prerequisites

• You must already have an openID provider. You may already have one, since many popular web sites are also openID providers.
• A list of common web openID providers is available here: Common openID Providers.
• I recommend using https://pip.verisignlabs.com/ because it is a trusted, signed, authoritative openID source. It also has a Firefox plugin to keep your entire browser session signed in for whatever sites you visit.
• You must either know your openID details (from the openID provider) or have your browser already authenticated, as with pip.verisignlabs.org.

How to use pip.verisignlabs.com as an openID provider

• Visit https://pip.verisignlabs.com/ and create a new account. My account username is jmw86069.pip.verisignlabs.com for example.
• You may opt to synchronize other online accounts with this openID, which allows you to sign into those accounts with your same openID. (I recommend it.)
• You can create a profile, which is mostly useful for auto-filling account information when you sign up for other web accounts.
• If you use Firefox, install the Seatbelt plugin from here: https://pip.verisignlabs.com/seatbelt.do
• The plugin at the bottom-right corner of the browser window:

Using openID at aviangenomes.org

• Visit aviangenomes.org and click "sign in with openID."
• In the username field, type in your openID URL -- in my case jmw86069.pip.verisignlabs.com. (Don't worry, you only have to do this once!) Then click Submit.
• You'll be taken to pip.verisignlabs.com to sign in (unless you're already signed in.)
• It will ask to confirm creating a new account, and allow you to select what information should be used in creating the account.
• I used my full name in the "nickname" field, and let it fill in my Email address.
• Once you've completed the pip.verisignlabs.com portion, it will return you to aviangenomes.org and you should already be signed into your new account!

If you already had an aviangenomes.org account

If you already created an account at aviangenomes.org, you can click on the link "My Account" on the right side of the page and edit your account information. One of the fields allows you to add an openID URL to your account, which will connect you to openID just as if you had created the account through openID.

Questions or Problems?

If you have any questions or problems during this process, please inform me (James M. Ward or the aviangenomes.org administrators and we will assist you promptly.