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Setting up SSO CAS

This document describes how BlueMind recognizes CAS (Central Authentication Service) authentication.

How CAS authentication works​

For initial authentication :

  1. The user tries to connect to BlueMind, which he opens in his browser.
  2. As it has not yet been authenticated, the BlueMind server redirects it to the CAS server for authentication.
  3. Once authenticated, a CAS cookie is placed in the user's browser, and the user is redirected to BlueMind with a ticket to validate.
  4. The BlueMind server :
    1. sees this ticket,
    2. asks the CAS server if it is valid,
    3. if this is the case, authorizes the connection and sets a cookie BlueMind in the browser.

On next authentication:

  1. The customer requests access to the BlueMind server again.
  2. As it has the BlueMind cookie, it is automatically authenticated as long as this cookie is valid.

For more information

Prerequisites​

Have a CAS server that is operational and accessible via HTTPS from the BlueMind server.

Installation​

No installation is required; BlueMind natively supports authentication via a CAS server.

CAS configuration for a single or primary domain​

  1. In the administration console, go to System management > Supervised domains > choose domain > Security tab.

    ℹ️ Administrator account
    This procedure involves domain configuration, so it is possible and preferable to use a domain administrator account (see Organizational Units and Delegated Administration) rather than the superuser admin0.

  2. Select the CAS authentication mode from the drop-down menu and enter the CAS server URL:

  3. Click on "Save" to save your changes.

Users will then be automatically redirected to the CAS server when accessing the authentication page.

CAS Configuration in a Shared Environment​

To use a single authentication server with multiple domains, you configure the server for a primary domain, to which the other domains are linked.

From the web Domain management:

  1. Set up your first domain using the method described above; it will then be considered the primary domain.

  2. Enter an external URL for the primary domain (see External URL Configuration).\

    Configuring the external URL is required for authentication to work properly with all domains.

  3. Note the username(s) of the subdomain(s) (Domain UID) from the list of domains or their management page.

  4. Go to the management page for the primary domain > Security tab: below the CAS configuration form, an "Add" link now appears:

    → Click to add as many secondary domains as you like.

  5. In the fields provided, enter the UIDs of the domains you want to link:

  6. Click "Save" to confirm.

  7. In the subdomain management page, under the Security tab, the form has been replaced with a field displaying the primary domain's UID:

Known errors​

Error 500: Internal Server Error​

There may be several reasons for this error message. To investigate the cause and find out how to solve it, consult the webserver logs. For further information on the logs, see the Logs page.

Using a self-signed certificate or an unknown certification authority​

Symptoms: If a self-signed certificate is used for the CAS server, or the CAS server's certification authority is not listed, a security error occurs when establishing the https connection to the CAS server.

Solution: To resolve this error, import the self-signed certificate or root CA into the jvm keystore used by BlueMind.

keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias cas -file cert_racine.crt -keystore /usr/lib/jvm/bm-jdk/lib/security/cacerts
Enter keystore password: changeit

For more information, see http://www.sslshopper.com/article-most-common-java-keytool-keystore-commands.html

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