shibboleth repository for SLES 12 SP5

[UM-IT]

Hi Scott,

the repository is available - thanks for this extremely quick response!

I would like to clarify my understanding of the topic for all SLES users to get a valid basis for deciding about the necessary next steps:

> We're basically headed towards dropping support there once we redo the packaging in AWS anyway, so for all intents and purposes please consider this a clear signal we're moving to members only support for it, and solely based on the packages they distribute. If they don't have a maintained package on 12, I would be getting off it and on to OpenSUSE

That means, that even if there is a repository for SLES 12 SP5 right now, that does not indicate that there will be ongoing builds of new SP-versions until SP5 is EOL, which brings problems e.g. if there are security issues appearing. According to the wiki (https://wiki.shibboleth.net/confluence/display/SP3/SystemRequirements#SystemRequirements-Linux/Unix) the support will be dropped in 2020 - which is pretty soon. 

So all SLES users have these options:

- verify if SuSE maintains their SP 2.5.5. package and backports all security patches. If this is the case we could downgrade to 2.5.5. -> will there be compatibility issues with currently used IdPs or has the API between SP and IdP been held stable so that there won't be any communication protocol issues?
- convince SuSE or someone else to maintain a repository with a current SP-versions
- hope that a consortium member also needs these packages (I just learned that our membership to the DFN doesn't make us a member of the shibboleth consortium https://wiki.shibboleth.net/confluence/display/consort/Technical+Support+Options)
- migrate our servers and workflows to RHEL or CentOS as they are the only distributions with ongoing official support (which would be a pretty though task considering the deadline 2020)

Are my assumptions correct?

Best regards, Robert