If your institution uses SAML authentication and you have trouble logging into your account, your ExamSoft support agent might ask you to conduct a SAML trace to help troubleshoot the issue. You can quickly install a web browser add-in, run the trace, and send the data to ExamSoft.
Note: You can follow the procedure in either Firefox or Chrome.
Procedures
Install and Run the SAML Tracer in Firefox
- Using Firefox, download the SAML-tracer browser extension here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/saml-tracer/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=search
- After installation, click the SAML-tracer icon button.
- In the SAML-tracer window, click the ‘Show protocol requests only’ button. This will clean up the results you see here during the login process.
- With the SAML-tracer window open, proceed to your ExamSoft portal and login as normal.
- Once redirected back to ExamSoft after authenticating with your institution’s login page, check the SAML-tracer window. You should see a ‘POST’ entry with a SAML label to the right. Don’t try to match the screenshot text exactly, just look for the ‘POST’ line.
- Click that line, then click the ‘SAML’ tab in the section below to reveal the SAML Response.
- Highlight the entire block of text in that bottom section taking extra care that everything is highlighted, then copy the text.
- Paste the text into a txt file or directly into the email thread for the person helping you with your login issue, and send it.
Install and Run the SAML Tracer in Chrome
- Download the SAML-tracer browser extension here: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/saml-tracer/mpdajninpobndbfcldcmbpnnbhibjmch?hl
- After installation, click the Extension button, then click ‘SAML-tracer’.
- In the SAML-tracer window, click the ‘Show protocol requests only’ button. This will clean up the results you see here during the login process.
- With the SAML-tracer window open, proceed to your ExamSoft portal and fully login as normal.
- Once redirected back to ExamSoft after authenticating with your institution’s login page, check the SAML-tracer window. You should see a ‘POST’ entry with a SAML label to the right. Don’t try to match the screenshot text exactly, just look for the ‘POST’ line.
- Click that line, then click the ‘SAML’ tab in the section below to reveal the SAML Response.
- Highlight the entire block of text in that bottom section taking extra care that everything is highlighted, then copy the text.
- Paste the text into a txt file or directly into the email thread for the person helping you with your login issue, and send it.