LDAP connection

Server address

You should first define the type of LDAP directory. Currently, 2 implementations are managed by the LDAP directory interface:

  • OpenLDAP (openldap), being the default value

  • ActiveDirectory (activedirectory)

Set the desired implementation with the $ldap_type parameter:

$ldap_type = "openldap";

Use an LDAP URI to configure the location of your LDAP server in $ldap_url:

$ldap_url = "ldap://localhost:389";

You can set several URI, so that next server will be tried if the previous is down:

$ldap_url = "ldap://server1 ldap://server2";

To use SSL, set ldaps in the URI:

$ldap_url = "ldaps://localhost";

To use StartTLS, set true in $ldap_starttls:

$ldap_starttls = true;

Warning

LDAP certificate management in PHP relies on LDAP system libraries. Under Linux, you can configure /etc/ldap.conf (or /etc/ldap/ldap.conf on Debian/Ubuntu, or C:\OpenLDAP\sysconf\ldap.conf for Windows).

  • Provide the certificate from the certificate authority that issued your LDAP server’s certificate:

TLS_CACERT /etc/ssl/ca.crt

  • Or, disable server certificate checking:

TLS_REQCERT allow

If you face issues with non matching TLS versions between SSP and your LDAP server, you should try to modify TLS_CIPHER_SUITE to match the requirements of your server. For example:

TLS_CIPHER_SUITE TLSv1+RSA

Alternatively these configurations can be overriden directly in the config.inc.local.php using the following configurations:

putenv("LDAPTLS_REQCERT=allow");
putenv("LDAPTLS_CACERT=/etc/ssl/ca.crt");

You can also define the ldap connection timeout:

$ldap_network_timeout = true;

Credentials

Configure DN and password in $ldap_bindn and $ldap_bindpw, for example a service account:

$ldap_binddn = "cn=ssp,ou=dsa,dc=example,dc=com";
$ldap_bindpw = "secret";

Tip

You can empty the bind DN ($ldap_binddn = null or $ldap_binddn = “”) to bind anonymously or to bind using Kerberos via SASL (see below). In this case, the password modification must be done with user’s credentials. But this will not work for password reset.

If you want an SSP account to do this on behalf of the user set the value of $who_change_password to manager.

To instead use user’s credentials when writing in LDAP directory, replace manager with user in $who_change_password:

$who_change_password = "user";

Warning

The user account can only be used for standard password change, when user is giving its old password. For other password changes (token, questions, …), manager account will always be used, whatever value is set in $who_change_password.

For Kerberos authentication (GSSAPI), empty $ldap_bind* parameters (null or empty string) and uncomment $ldap_krb5ccname lines

$ldap_krb5ccname = "/tmp/krb5cc_apache";

Make sure the web server is able to read /tmp/krb5cc_apache:

# ls -l /etc/krb5.keytab /tmp/krb5cc_apache
-rw------- 1 apache apache 1212 May 28 15:13 /tmp/krb5cc_apache

/tmp/krb5cc_apache - is a Kerberos auth cache file generated by k5start service from an AD administrator’s keytab, like:

# systemctl cat k5start@apache.service
# /etc/systemd/system/k5start@.service
[Unit]
Description=Service User Kerberos Auth (Keytab)
After=dbus.service
After=network.target
After=NetworkManager.service

[Service]
Environment="KEYTAB=/usr/local/etc/aduser.keytab"
Type=forking
ExecStart=/usr/bin/k5start -f ${KEYTAB} -b -a -K 120 -L -l 1d -k /tmp/krb5cc_%i -U -o %i -p /var/run/k5start_%i.pid
ExecStop=/usr/bin/kill $(/usr/bin/cat /var/run/k5start_%i.pid)

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Search parameters

You can set the base of the search in $ldap_base:

$ldap_base = "dc=example,dc=com";

The filter can be set in $ldap_filter:

$ldap_filter = "(&(objectClass=person)(uid={login}))";

Tip

The string {login} is replaced by submitted login.

The scope can be set in $ldap_scope:

$ldap_scope = "sub";

Tip

sub is the default value. Possible values are sub, one, or base

You can retrieve users with a paged search, for example if your directory does not allow you to get all entries at once. You can enable this feature by setting a non-zero value to the page size parameter:

$ldap_page_size = 100;

Tip

when setting a $ldap_page_size value > 0, self-service-password sends a LDAP_CONTROL_PAGEDRESULTS control along with the search, and loop for each page

You can configure users to change their password without the use of a service account, avoiding the need to configure $ldap_binddn and $ldap_bindpw.

$ldap_build_user_dn = "$ldap_login_attribute={login},ou=users,$ldap_base";

Extensions

You can use LDAP password modify extended operation with $ldap_use_exop_passwd:

$ldap_use_exop_passwd = true;

You can also enable LDAP password policy control with $ldap_use_ppolicy_control:

$ldap_use_ppolicy_control = true;

Special modes

Active Directory

Password in Active Directory is not managed like in other LDAP directories. Use option $ldap_type to use unicodePwd as password field:

$ldap_type = "activedirectory";

You must also use SSL on LDAP connection because AD refuses to change a password on a clear connection. See this documentation to manage Active Directory certificates.

Adapt the search filter too:

$ldap_filter = "(&(objectClass=user)(sAMAccountName={login})(!(userAccountControl:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2)))";

You can tune some options:

  • Force unlock: will unlock a locked account when password is changed

$ldap_options['force_unlock'] = true;

  • Force user to change password at next login:

$ldap_options['force_pwd_change'] = true;

  • Allow user to change password if password is expired (this will force the password to be changed as manager):

$ldap_options['change_expired_password'] = true;

Warning

For now, $ldap_options are only taken into consideration for AD mode.

You need to have an account on Active Directory with rights to change password of users. To set the minimum rights for this account, do the following:

  • Create a basic domain account without any additional privileges

  • Use Delegate control wizard within “User and computers”, then

    • User Object

    • Reset Password

    • Write lockoutTime (if unlock is enabled)

    • Write shadowlastchange

If you enabled the reset by questions feature (see Reset by questions), you also need to give rights on the question attribute:

  • Right click the OU where you want delegation of permissions to propagate down from and select “Delegate Control…”

  • Add the account to delegate to, click Next

  • Create a custom task to delegate

  • Select the radio button for “Only the following objects in the folder”, then select “User objects” at the bottom of the list, click Next

  • Select the “Property-specific” checkbox only, then locate the attribute you are using to store the “Reset by questions” answer in.

Samba 3 or lower

To manage compatibility with Windows world, Samba stores a specific hash of the password in a second attribute (sambaNTpassword). It also store modification date in sambaPwdLastSet. Use $samba_mode to manage these attributes:

$samba_mode = true;

You can also update sambaPwdCanChange and sambaPwdMustChange attributes by settings minimal and maximal age, in days:

$samba_options['min_age'] = 5;
$samba_options['max_age'] = 45;

To set an expiration date for a Samba account (attribute sambaKickofftime), configure a maximal age, in days:

$samba_options['expire_days'] = 90;

Tip

Samba modifications will only be done on entries of class sambaSamAccount

Tip

For Samba 4, you must use AD mode, not Samba mode.

Shadow

If using shadowAccount object class for users, you can update the shadowLastChange attribute when changing password:

$shadow_options['update_shadowLastChange'] = true;

You can also update the shadowExpire attribute to define when the password will expire. Use -1 to never expire, else configure the number of days:

$shadow_options['update_shadowExpire'] = true;
$shadow_options['shadow_expire_days'] = 365;

Tip

Shadow modifications will only be done on entries of class shadowAccount