nService3 User Authentication and LDAP/Active Directory Integration

You can set up nService to authenticate users in one of the three modes: nService Authentication, nService+LDAP Authentication, Windows Authentication. Most companies use Active Directory on their networks. Active Directory is a LDAP server.

 

nService Authentication

It validates users with the users in nService's database. It is the default. It doesn't require additional step to set up. Users need to type in their log on names and passwords to log in to the protected area of the website.

nSerivce+LDAP Authentication

It first attempts to validate users with a LDAP server such as Active Directory. If the user is validated, it creates a corresponding user account in nService's database with information from the LDAP server. If the account already exists in nService, it updates it. If the user is not validated by the LDAP server, it validates the user with the users in nService's database. Users need to type in their log on names and passwords to log in to the protected area of the website. To set up this type of authentication, you need to log in to the website and run the "Import from LDAP Server" at least once on the "Users and Assets" menu.

Windows Authentication

It doesn't validate users. Instead, it picks up the user's Windows account, retrieves his information through LDAP and creates a corresponding account in nService. If the account already exists in nService, it updates it. If the user is already logged into the network, he does not need to provide log on names and passwords to log in to nService. It is done automatically. If the user is a remote user, he would get a log on dialog popped up on his browser.

 

To set up Windows Authentication, take the following steps.

1.      Change the authentication mode from "Forms" to "Windows" in \Inetpub\nService3\web.donfig.

2.      In order for nService to properly place the Windows users, you need to run the "Import from LDAP Server" once to set up the organization tree. This also means that to use Windows Authentication, you must also have a LDAP Server in your network.

3.      It is also very important to remember that Windows Authentication completely bypass your nService user list. The implication is that you must add "ns3.admin" to your Active Directory before you enable this type of authentication. Otherwise you will not be able to log in as "ns3.admin", the pre-created nService system administrator. Once you have some LDAP users created in nService, you can add them to the nService System Administrator group and then delete the "ns3.admin" account from Active Directory.

 

 

The "Import from LDAP Server" page imports organizational units, groups and assets from your LDAP server. It doesn't import users. Users are created and updated on the fly when they log in the nService.

 

Copyright(c) 2007 Avensoft.