Coherent Digital supports six frictionless options for remote user access:
- Username & Password Authentication
- IP Authentication
- EZproxy
- Shibboleth / SAML Authentication
- HAN Server Authentication
- Public Library Patron Authentication
Username & Password Authentication
Individual users or users associated with an institutional membership can sign up for a user account in any of our Commons.
When they use an institutional email to register (in other words, an email address that matches their institution’s domain), their login will automatically be connected to the membership and give them full access from off-site or off-campus locations.
Many institutions use multiple email domains. To ensure that all relevant email domains are configured for your institution, please contact support@coherentdigital.net with the list of domains that Coherent Digital should use for your account.
To sign up, visit any one of these sites.:
Canada Commons: https://canadacommons.ca/accounts/signup/
Mindscape Commons: https://mindscapecommons.net/login
By registering on any one of these sites, your registration will work on the other sites (Mindscape Commons is excepted, this uses a separate registration system)
TCP/IP Authentication
To support TCP/IP address range authentication, we use the IP address ranges that are assigned to your institution at The IP Registry. If you should ever need to adjust these, simply edit your information at the registry and our system will automatically receive the update. If your institution wishes to use TCP/IP Address Range Authentication, and you are not currently listed in the IP Registry, you may add your address ranges to this registry for free.
The IP Registry
To use the IP Registry, follow these simple steps:
Register for free with theIPregistry.org
Confirm the IPs currently listed for your institution and affiliated sites.
Communicate IP changes by adding or deleting IP addresses as necessary.
If you are newly adding your institution to the registry, let Coherent Digital know at support@coherentdigital.net.
If you have any questions about using theIPregistry.org please see their FAQs or contact them at info@theIPregistry.org
EZproxy
If you use EZproxy for remote user access, then there is a database stanza you can install on your EZproxy for each Commons from the OCLC EZproxy support site.
Africa Commons Database Stanza
(*) Note: To complete the installation of an EZproxy stanza for Mindscape Commons, there is one additional step. Coherent Digital needs to configure your proxy URL as an enabled site. So please send the proxy URL to support@coherentdigital.net. This will be the URL in the browser location bar after logging into Mindscape Commons via the proxy. The URL will usually look something like "https://mindscapecommons-net.proxy.yourinstitution.edu". This extra step applies to Mindscape Commons only.
Shibboleth/SAML Authentication
At Coherent Digital, we support both Federated Shibboleth Authentication as well as ‘Bilateral’ metadata exchange.
Bilateral metadata exchange is used when the customer is not a member of a federation or Coherent Digital is not a member of the same federation. For example this is how we support Microsoft Azure as an authentication technique for non-academic institutions.
Currently Coherent Digital is a registered Service Provider at the following SAML federations:
See our entry at REFEDs metadata explorer for up-to-date details.
Shibboleth / SAML Configuration
For Shibboleth Authentication, please provide the following to support@coherentdigital.net:
Federated Shibboleth Configuration:
Your EntityID
Your Federation
For Bilateral Metadata Exchange:
Coherent Digital’s Shibboleth Information:
WAYFless URLs
Once the shibboleth configuration is complete, the following Service-Provider-initiated URLs can be used to log your users into a product without having to encounter a ‘Where-are-you-from’ page. These URLs are what you would use in your A-to-Z database menu for remote users:
Africa Commons
https://africacommons.net/start-session?entityID=your-entityID
Canada Commons
https://canadacommons.ca/start-session?entityID=your-entityID
History Commons
https://history-commons.net/start-session?entityID=your-enityID
Mindscape Commons
https://mindscapecommons.net/start-session?entityID=your-entityID
Policy Commons
https://policycommons.net/start-session?entityID=your-entityID
South Asia Commons
https://southasiacommons.net/start-session?entityID=your-entityID
Notes: Replace ‘your-entityID’ in the above URL with a URL-encoded version of your institution’s SAML Identity Provider entity ID.
These examples put the user in the product home page. The optional &target= parameter can contain any valid URL (encoded) at the destination product to place the user at a page other than the home page.
HAN Server Authentication
Coherent Digital support authentication via HAN Server reverse proxies. Let support@coherentdigital.net know the domain name of your HAN server and we can configure that type of access for your institution.
Public Library Patron Authentication
Coherent Digital supports authentication via library barcode number ranges or patterns. Please contact support@coherentdigital.net with the library barcode ranges that are used for library card holders in your library.