Defining an LDAP scheme

DataStax Enterprise supports LDAP for:

Authentication: DSE passes through the credentials to the configured LDAP.
Role management: DSE looks up the authenticated user and retrieves a list of LDAP groups and then matches LDAP group names to DSE role names.

DataStax Enterprise allows you to adjust the LDAP connection using the LDAP tuning switches. To debug LDAP connections enable logging, see Enabling authentication debug.

All permissions granted to roles that reflect LDAP groups to which the user belongs – directly or indirectly – are inherited. The inherited permissions include login permission, scheme permissions, proxy execution permissions, and object permissions.

Prerequisites

Complete Enabling DSE Unified Authentication with the following options:

For authentication, ensure that authentication_options.scheme:ldap or authentication_options.other_scheme:ldap is set in the dse.yaml:
```
authentication_options:
...
   scheme: ldap
```
For role management, ensure that role_management_options.mode: ldap is set in the dse.yaml:
```
role_management_options:
...
   mode: ldap
```

Ensure that a supported LDAP v3 server is available. DataStax Enterprise supports:

Microsoft Active Directory:
- Windows 2008
- Windows 2012
OpenLDAP 2.4.x
Oracle Directory Server Enterprise Edition 11.1.1.7.0

Procedure

On every node configure the LDAP options in the dse.yaml.

For multi-datacenter support, use the nearest available LDAP host.

Configure the following options when using an LDAP scheme for authentication or role management:

Example of AD authentication minimum settings:

ldap_options:
    server_host: win2012ad_server.mycompany.lan
    server_port: 389
    search_dn: cn=lookup_user,cn=users,dc=win2012domain,dc=mycompany,dc=lan
    search_password: lookup_user_password
    use_ssl: false
    use_tls: false
    hostname_verification: false
    truststore_path: <path/to/truststore>
    truststore_password: <passwordToTruststore>
    truststore_type: jks
    user_search_base: cn=users,dc=win2012domain,dc=mycompany,dc=lan
    user_search_filter: (sAMAccountName={0})

    credentials_validity_in_ms: 0
    search_validity_in_seconds: 0
    connection_pool:
        max_active: 8
        max_idle: 8

Configure all required settings:

Option Description

Option	Description
server_host	Host name of the LDAP server.
server_port	Port on which the LDAP server listens. The default port for unencrypted connections is 389. The default SSL port for LDAP is 636.
search_dn	Distinguished name (DN) of an account with read access to the `user_search_base` and `group_search_base`. Comment out to use an anonymous bind.
search_password	Password of the `search_dn` user.
user_search_base	Distinguished name (DN) of the object to start the recursive search for user entries for authentication and role management memberof searches. For example to search all users in example.com, `ou=users,dc=example,dc=com`.Active Directory uses a different search base, typically `CN=search,CN=Users,DC=<ActDir_domname>,DC=internal`. For example, `CN=search,CN=Users,DC=example,DC=internal`.
user_search_filter	Attribute that identifies the user. The default setting is `(uid={0})`.When using Active Directory set the filter to `(sAMAccountName={0})`.

server_host

Host name of the LDAP server.

server_port

Port on which the LDAP server listens. The default port for unencrypted connections is 389. The default SSL port for LDAP is 636.

search_dn

Distinguished name (DN) of an account with read access to the user_search_base and group_search_base. Comment out to use an anonymous bind.

search_password

Password of the search_dn user.

user_search_base

Distinguished name (DN) of the object to start the recursive search for user entries for authentication and role management memberof searches. For example to search all users in example.com, ou=users,dc=example,dc=com.Active Directory uses a different search base, typically CN=search,CN=Users,DC=<ActDir_domname>,DC=internal. For example, CN=search,CN=Users,DC=example,DC=internal.

user_search_filter

Attribute that identifies the user. The default setting is (uid={0}).When using Active Directory set the filter to (sAMAccountName={0}).

Configure optional settings:

Option Description

Option	Description
use_ssl	Set to `true` to enable SSL connections to the LDAP server. If set to `true`, you might need to change `server_port` to the SSL port of the LDAP server.The default value is `false`.
use_tls	Set to `true` to enable TLS connections to the LDAP server. If set to `true`, change the `server_port` to the TLS port of the LDAP server. The default value is `false`.
hostname_verification	Sets whether hostname verification occurs for SSL/TLS connections. Enabling the hostname verification check requires the following conditions: Set `use_ssl` or `use_tls` to `true`. Set `truststore_path` so that it points to a valid truststore; meaning, the truststore has a certificate entry (`trustedCertEntry`) that specifies a SAN DNSName entry matching the `hostname` of the LDAP server. Set this `hostname_verification` property to `true` DSE throws a configuration exception if `hostname_verification` is `true` but the related conditions are not met. Default: `false`
truststore_path	The path to the truststore for SSL certificates.
truststore_password	The password to access the trust store.
truststore_type	The type of truststore. The default value is `jks`.
credentials_validity_in_ms	The duration period in milliseconds for the credential cache.To disable the cache, set it to 0. The cache is disabled by default.With the cache enabled, DataStax Enterprise stores the user credentials locally during the specified time. Binding to a remote LDAP server takes time and resources, so enabling a credential cache usually results in faster performance following the initial authentication phase. Changes in user credentials on the LDAP server are not reflected in DataStax Enterprise during the cache period.
search_validity_in_seconds	The duration period in seconds for the search cache. To disable the cache, set it to 0. The cache is disabled by default.Enabling a search cache improves performance by reducing the number of requests that are sent to the LDAP server. Changes in user data on the LDAP server are not reflected during the cache period.
connection_pool	The configuration settings for the connection pool for making LDAP requests.
max_active	The maximum number of active connections to the LDAP server. The default value is 8.
max_idle	The maximum number of idle connections in the pool awaiting requests. The default value is 8.

use_ssl

Set to true to enable SSL connections to the LDAP server. If set to true, you might need to change server_port to the SSL port of the LDAP server.The default value is false.

use_tls

Set to true to enable TLS connections to the LDAP server. If set to true, change the server_port to the TLS port of the LDAP server. The default value is false.

hostname_verification

Sets whether hostname verification occurs for SSL/TLS connections. Enabling the hostname verification check requires the following conditions:

Set use_ssl or use_tls to true.
Set truststore_path so that it points to a valid truststore; meaning, the truststore has a certificate entry (trustedCertEntry) that specifies a SAN DNSName entry matching the hostname of the LDAP server.
Set this hostname_verification property to true DSE throws a configuration exception if hostname_verification is true but the related conditions are not met. Default: false

truststore_path

The path to the truststore for SSL certificates.

truststore_password

The password to access the trust store.

truststore_type

The type of truststore. The default value is jks.

credentials_validity_in_ms

The duration period in milliseconds for the credential cache.To disable the cache, set it to 0. The cache is disabled by default.With the cache enabled, DataStax Enterprise stores the user credentials locally during the specified time. Binding to a remote LDAP server takes time and resources, so enabling a credential cache usually results in faster performance following the initial authentication phase. Changes in user credentials on the LDAP server are not reflected in DataStax Enterprise during the cache period.

search_validity_in_seconds

The duration period in seconds for the search cache. To disable the cache, set it to 0. The cache is disabled by default.Enabling a search cache improves performance by reducing the number of requests that are sent to the LDAP server. Changes in user data on the LDAP server are not reflected during the cache period.

connection_pool

The configuration settings for the connection pool for making LDAP requests.

max_active

The maximum number of active connections to the LDAP server. The default value is 8.

max_idle

The maximum number of idle connections in the pool awaiting requests. The default value is 8.

For Role Management mode ldap, choose one of the following:

Option 1. Configure DSE to get a list of groups from an attribute of the user entry:

user_memberof_attribute: memberof
group_search_type: memberof_search

memberof is the name of the attribute that contains a list of groups in the default Microsoft Active Directory LDAP scheme. OpenLDAP does not have a member of attribute by default.

Option Setting Description

user_memberof_attribute

memberof

Attribute that contains a list of group names; role manager assigns DSE roles that exactly match any in the list.

Unmatched groups are ignored.

group_search_type

memberof_search

Recursively search for user entries using the user_search_base and user_search_filter.

Option 2. Configure DSE to search all group objects from the search base and return a list of groups that contain the user:

group_search_type: directory_search
group_search_base: <DN>
group_search_filter: (uniquemember={0})
group_name_attribute: <CN>

uniquemember is the name of the attribute that contains a list of users in the default Microsoft Active Directory LDAP scheme for group.

Option Setting Description

group_search_type

directory_search

Recursively search for group objects using the group_search_base.

group_search_base

<DN>

Identifies the location that role manager starts the recursive check for groups that contain the user. For example to check all internal groups of example.com: cn=internal ou=group,dc=example,dc=com.

group_search_filter

(uniquemember={0})

Attribute that matches the user name. In most LDAP services the attribute is uniquemember.

group_name_attribute

Attribute that contains the group name that role manager matches to a configured DSE role. Group name must match the DSE role name exactly including case.

Unmatched groups are ignored.

Perform a rolling restart to implement the changes.

When adding LDAP to and authentication enabled DSE environment, DataStax recommends setting up roles for LDAP users and groups before restarting.

Defining an LDAP scheme

Prerequisites

Procedure

What’s next

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