LDAP Authentication on Windows Server

 Starting in 3.6, ProVision supports LDAP authentication (including Windows Server!). To setup an LDAP server for authentication, you must perform the following procedures:

Configuring the LDAP functions on your Windows Server

You should confirm these steps with your LDAP admin - the purpose of this walkthrough is to provide some level of detail on how to extend LDAP functionality to support integration with an application like ProVision.

Step 1: Prepare to extend the Schema (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc961754.aspx)

This is not a minor operation and requires interaction with various control modification areas of Windows Server:

  • If you have not modified the schema before, you will need to use the Active Directory Schema console on a DC (Domain Controller) to permit write access to the DC schema.
  • Since the schema object has dedicated permissions, admins must be a member of the Schema Administrator group (Schema Admins).
  • Note that the DC that is holding the Schema Master Role is the only one allowed to write to it.

Step 2: Decide on method for Installing/executing Schema Extensions (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc961742.aspx)

If you have already used other AD integrations, this should be straightforward. We recommend using the LDIF script method

Step 3: Add and Modify a Schema Object (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc961575.aspx)

To add a new attribute to the schema, you first have to create a attribute object. The you will need to complete the following steps:

LDAP Schema - Example

attributetype (1.3.6.1.4.1.5023215.2.3.21 NAME 'sixConnGroup' SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 ) objectclass ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.5023215.2.4.2 NAME 'sixConnectPermissionsV2' DESC '6Connect Permissions Object v2' SUP top AUXILIARY MUST ( sixConnGroup ) )

LDAP User Example

SSH into your openLDAP server and create a new 'ldif' file.  Example:

dn: cn=JoeSmith,ou=people,dc=6connect,dc=com
cn: JoeSmith
sn: JoeSmith
objectclass: top
objectclass: person
objectclass: sixConnectPermissionsV2
sixConnGroup: "Global Admins"
sixConnGroup: "IT Engineering"
sixConnGroup: "Sales"
sixConnGroup: "Customer Admin"
userPassword: testpass

 To create a new user, make a new ldif file and change all instances of "JoeSmith" to whatever username you wish to create and update the password.  Keep all of the object class definitions as listed above.  Add a sixConnGroup declaration for each ProVision user group a user is in.

 After the file is created, run the following command to add the new user to LDAP server:

 ldapadd -h [SERVER] -x -f [LDIF FILE] -D [ROOTDN] -w [ROOT PW] -v

 Example:

 ldapadd -h localhost -x -f 6connect.ldif -D "cn=Manager,dc=6connect,dc=com" -w secret -v

The user will now be active in openLDAP and can be used to login to ProVision.

Test the LDAP Server

To query the LDAP server, run the following command on any server which has openLDAP enabled:

ldapsearch -b [BASE] -h [IPADDRESS] -D [DOMAIN] -w [PASSWORD] [USER]

Note:  We have not been able to use a v6 address at with this tool, even though multiple sources say it should work.

At the end of the command where [USER] is specified, user or groups can be used (in LDAP format) to query.

Example: 

ldapsearch -b "dc=6connect,dc=com" -h 50.240.195.129 -D "cn=Mayor,ou=people,dc=6connect,dc=com" -w testpass "cn=MajorMiner"

Configure ProVision for LDAP Authentication 

To configure the use of LDAP authentication with ProVision, follow the steps below.

  1. Log into 6connect ProVision
  2. Go to Settings Tab → Admin Settings -> Authentication
  3. Select "LDAP" under "Authentication Options"
  4. Move the LDAP Enable selector to the "ON" position.
  5. Fill in the hostname or ip address, authentication port, LDAP Security, Auth DN, and Fetch DN.
    1. Optionally, enter the LDAP Username and Password in order to allow ProVision to import LDAP Contacts and sync LDAP contact information (see: Contact Manager)
  6. Click "Test Server" to verify the connection.

Example values in this case would be: 

  • LDAP Enable: (Checked)
  • LDAP Server Address:  52.240.195.12
  • LDAP Port:  389 ( or SSL/TLS port is 636)
  • LDAP Security:  None
  • LDAP Auth DN:  cn=%LOGIN%,ou=people,dc=6connect,dc=com
  • LDAP Fetch DN:  cn=%LOGIN%


Setting default login authentication options

In the login screen, you would select the authentication method from the dropdown. If you like, you can set the default login option in the following way:

Go to the /data/globals.php and open in vi (or other editor). Add in the following text as the last line of the file (before the closing ?>)

define('DEFAULT_LOGIN_TYPE', 'radius');

Acceptable values are "local", "radius" and "ldap". If this line is not present in globals.php, the default option is "local".

Using SSL encryption

To use SSL encryption with LDAP, the ldap.conf file must be correctly configured on the ProVision server.

Typically, the LDAP configuration file is kept at "/etc/ldap/ldap.conf".  Make sure the following line is present:

    TLS_REQCERT allow

and restart the webserver. 

Add or Update LDAP Settings

To add or update LDAP settings, go to the Settings Tab → Admin to enter the Admin area of ProVision.

Then, click the "Authentication" sub-tab at the top of the Admin Settings page, and select "LDAP" from the "Authentication Options" module.

Enter or update the following settings:

  • LDAP Enable: check the box to enable LDAP functionality.
  • LDAP Server Address: Set the IP address of your LDAP server.
  • LDAP Port: Set the port for your LDAP server
  • LDAP Security: Select the security method of your LDAP server - SSL, TLS or None
  • Test Server: Click to test the connection to the LDAP server.
  • LDAP Auth DN/Fetch DN: These strings are used to first authentication the 6connect user and then to retrieve their permissions. The string '%LOGIN%' should be inserted in place of the user's common name both strings. (ex: cn=%LOGIN%,ou=people,dc=6connect,dc=com)
  • LDAP Group Attribute: If using an internal list of user groups instead of 6connect groups, enter the attribute name for the LDAP groups here. If a Group Attribute is set, it will be used first, otherwise the 6connect schema will be used. 
  • LDAP Username / LDAP Password: Optionally, you may enter LDAP admin credentials to allow ProVision to import and sync LDAP contacts. See Contact Manager for details on LDAP contacts.
  • Mapping Permissions to 6connect schema: To integrate 6connect permissions with your existing directory structure then you will need the 6connect schema. It should snap in with any existing LDAP structure and allow you to assign 6connect permissions to your existing users. You can download a copy of the schema from this section.

When done, you may optionally click "Test Server" to verify the connection to the LDAP server with the entered settings, then "Save Changes".