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LDAP user authentication?

Pietrzak Karl -- on Jul. 28 2006

authenticate users using LDAP

Hey everyone!

You may remember me as the guy who's setting up YACS for his university. So far, it's awesome, and we're impressed with all the functionality.

So now we would like to use our university's LDAP system to authenticate users. The page entitled Why should you suggest your boss switch to YACS? talks about YACS's LDAP support.

However, I couldn't find any documentation on it. I might be going blind or crazy, heh.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!
Manufrom Caribbean
2970 posts

on Jul. 28 2006


Hello,

I'm sorry, i don't know very well about LDAP login. This function is not ready but maybe Bernard can tell you what to do for this.
Pietrzak Karl
19 posts

inspired from GnapZ on Jul. 28 2006


GnapZ:

Thanks for the quick reply! I can help write the code if necessary. My PHP skills are pretty new, but with guidance I could do anything.

Thanks!
Manufrom Caribbean
2970 posts

inspired from TheAlchemist on Jul. 28 2006


TheAlchemist : Fine, so take a look at the file users/login.php to adapt a LDAP authentification. Thanks.

Bernard Paquesfrom nearby-an-airport
Associate, 8372 posts

on Mar. 23 2007


YACS version 7.3 adds LDAP authentication. The code is ready, yet not tested against a real server. Would you like to check it please?
Pietrzak Karl
19 posts

inspired from Bernard on Mar. 25 2007


Bernard:

Hi there again! Glad to hear LDAP authentication made it! I'll give a test within the next few days and see whether it works with my university's LDAP server and I'll post back. =)

Thanks!
Pietrzak Karl
19 posts

on Apr. 6 2007


TheAlchemist:

Success!  The YACS installation for my university now successfully authenticates against the university's LDAP server.

Thanks, Bernard!

Next step: SSO?


Bernard Paquesfrom nearby-an-airport
Associate, 8372 posts

inspired from TheAlchemist on Apr. 6 2007


TheAlchemist: Thank you for the positive feed-back. Would you mind to document what you've done in a simple web page, maybe in the section for Guide d'installation et de mise à jour please?

Of course we will move to SSO! After your homework, do not hesitate to suggest adequate technical standard for this, by creating another web page at the special space: Post your requirements here

See you...

Vincentfrom on-a-few-hops-from-you
23 posts

on May 21 2008


Hi All,

I am (also) trying to set up LDAP authentication with YACS, sofar no luck.

My LDAP server allows for anonymous bind and when i read yacs/users/authenticators/ldap.php i think it suggests that leaving uname and passwd parameters out results in anonymous bind.

in http://test.azu.nl/yacs/users/configure.php I write in the Authentication management -> Screening -> Use the authenticator :

ldap test.azu.nl "dc=ribs,dc=azu,dc=nl"

This results in "Impossible to bind to LDAP server test.azu.nl." when i try to log in with a valid name.

A simple php script does the anonymous without trouble and returns what the LDAP contents.

Can someone point out what goes wrong plz?

FRANCOIS Alexandre
25 posts

on May 21 2008


Vincent :

Maybe is it a LDAP V2 protocol issue ? In this case, try adding the following code between at line Nr 120 (after ldap_connect() & before ldap_bind())in the file called users/authenticators/ldap.php:
@ldap_set_option($handleLDAP_OPT_PROTOCOL_VERSION3);

Vincentfrom on-a-few-hops-from-you
23 posts

inspired from alf83 on May 28 2008


Alf83:

Thanks Alf, you got me going into the right direction. It stopped complaining about can't bind. However, when i start 'slapd -d 256' to see what acutally hits the ldap server, it seems that:
  • I have to provide fields for parameters 3 and 4 (dn of user, password to bind to the ldap server.)
  • i don't have to provide a password anymore for the user to be accepted


I expected from the code that the cn was searched for and returned, but this is not the case.

I'll dig some more ...
FRANCOIS Alexandre
25 posts

on June 3 2008


Vincent: The latest patch may help you :
* You can now authenticate the user by binding to the LDAP server under a deduced login name (instead of doing a search in the LDAP tree)
* LDAP v3 is now the default
* A bug has been solved which allowed any user to enter the site if anonymous binding was activated. Isn't it related to your second point ?

Vincentfrom on-a-few-hops-from-you
23 posts

inspired from alf83 on Aug. 30 2008


Alf83: Sorry to leave the discussion go cold - for several reasons i was not able to handle the server anymore, nor to finish this post.

I hope to be back on track with this server in a month or so.

Vincentfrom on-a-few-hops-from-you
23 posts

on Dec. 17 2008


 Yet a newer and happier YACS

Just installed the latest (RC30). Thanks Bernard and others, keeping yacs going!

Back to LDAP

With my server: ldap.example.com authentication works if i fill out this in 

http://example.com/yacs/users/configure.php -> 'tab authentication' -> 'use the authenticator'

ldap ldap.example.com "cn=%u,ou=users,dc=ldap,dc=example,dc=com" %p

Great!

BUT this works only if plaintext passwords are stored in the LDAP directory. 

What if i would like to authenticate against passwords stored as {md5}?

FRANCOIS Alexandre
25 posts

inspired from Vincent on Dec. 27 2008


Unfortunately, I was not able to reproduce the bug : Yacs 8.11RC30 + OpenLdap 2.4.11 + passwords stored as MD5 = works fine

Maybe an issue in your server configuration ? What do your server logs say ? Have you tried to bind with another software ?

Vincentfrom on-a-few-hops-from-you
23 posts

inspired from FRANCOIS Alexandre on Jan. 30 2009


The issue might be there then, we still run openldap 2.3.30 via debian/stable. Maybe a little wait until the latest debian goes stable.

Thanks for the reply!


Bernard Paquesfrom nearby-an-airport
Associate, 8372 posts

inspired from FRANCOIS Alexandre on Feb. 23 2009


FRANCOIS Alexandre : What is your setting on yacs side, in the configuration panel ? Thanks for your support.

Vincentfrom on-a-few-hops-from-you
23 posts

inspired from Bernard Paques on Feb. 24 2009


Hi Bernard,

see the post above, from december 17, or did i miss something there?

Anyway, all works fine with these settings, if only i store the passwords in plaintext...; MD5 hashes are not processed, I wait for the server to get ldap2.4 via debian stable, I cannot play with it too much, it is in production.

 


Bernard Paquesfrom nearby-an-airport
Associate, 8372 posts

inspired from Vincent on Feb. 24 2009


Vincent : Ok ok I should have spent a little more time on this one. Thanks for your patience...