Adding and Managing Users

Background

The idea behind authentication is simple: keep people out that do not belong and allow users in that you want to have access. Some applications run an internal user management and authentication system. Since this is an early version of the application we have focused out efforts on features and let the authentication be handled by the webserver. At a later time we may add internal authentication if the user community desires it. Here are some of the basics of how authentication is currently handled.

• Kontrollcomm currently uses a simple method of HTTP Authentication. This allows for the following use cases:
  • You can use simple authentication via local .htaccess files or through LDAP, Kerberos, NIS, NIS+, etc - via any authentication scheme that Apache, or your webserver supports.
  • You can choose to not secure the application at all and run without any authentication - although this is not recommended.

Apache Authentication

Setting Directives
If you are using Apache as a webserver the authentication setup is very simple. All you have to do is add a directory directive to the configuration file and setup the AuthType? directives.

• Sample authentication directives inside a virtual host AuthType Basic AuthName "Kontrollcomm Authentication" AuthUserFile /var/htaccess_files/.htpasswd Require valid-user
• For information on setting this up please see the Apache documentation:  http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/howto/auth.html

Managing Authentication

• See the following documentation on how to use the htpasswd program to add/delete users and change passwords.  http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/programs/htpasswd.html

Lighttpd Authentication

• If you are running this webserver, see their documentation here:  http://redmine.lighttpd.net/wiki/1/Docs:ModAuth

Other Webservers

• Please consult the documentation that came with their software on how to setup HTTP authentication.