13-March-2009

Shibboleth InstallFests are an outreach effort of Internet2 community to provide local and regional training on the installation of Shibboleth. The goal is to provide a working instance of Shibboleth installed on a laptop or campus server.

The InstallFest started with a train-the-trainers session in Ann Arbor in May 2008. The concept was to train people in the installation of Shibboleth, then have them conduct their own state-wide or regional training programs. The InstallFests also addressed specific needs expressed by state systems of higher education and regional network partners.

As of March 2009, 11 InstallFests have been held in the US, serving 148 institutions and 267 individuals. Along the way, the international community developed and refined the training package. Some sites contributed new documents to help other training sessions that would come later.

Starting with a session held at the University of California-Davis, trainers not only provided a way for attendees to go home with Shibboleth installed, but also made adjustments to the training tools to enhance future training sessions. The training tools and documents were posted to a wiki (https://spaces.internet2.edu/display/ShibInstallFest/Home), as were lessons learned compiled after the sessions. The VM approach allowed participants to leave the sessions with a working model, which they could use for experimentation, as needed.

For more information on the Shibboleth InstallFests go to the wiki at
https://spaces.internet2.edu/display/ShibInstallFest/Home.

If you're interested in holding your own InstallFest, send email to workshops@internet2.edu.