User Authentication Manager

You can control access to a particular directory on your web server using a concept commonly termed "user authentication". The "Basic" user-authentication allows you to restrict access to users who can provide a valid username/password pair. The User Authentication Manager provides you with a web-based interface to set up password protected directories and provides your clients with a web-based interface such that they can change their passwords.

1. User Authentication Documentation
2. Installing the CGI source code
3. Configuring your Web Server
4. Accessing the User Authentication Manager
5. Allowing Users to Change Passwords Remotely

User Authentication Documentation

Before you install and use the User Authentication Manager on your Virtual Server as a server administrator, you should make yourself familiar with the Definitions and Directives that are associated with user authentication. An excellent on-line resource is available at the NCSA HTTPd web site and authored by the NCSA HTTPd Development Team:

User Authentication Tutorial

How to Install the User Authentication Manager

To install the User Authentication Manager on your Virtual Server you will need to do the following:

1. telnet to your Virtual Server.
   
2. change directories to your home directory (type "cd" and hit return)
   
3. type "tar -xvf /usr/local/contrib/htaccess.tar"
   This will install the htaccess.pl file into your "www/cgi-bin/library/htaccess" directory.

Configuring your Web Server

In order to prevent anyone from accessing your User Authentication Manager yet still allowing yourself access with administrative privileges, you will need to add a Directory directive to your web server's access configuration file. Specifically, you will need to append the following lines to your web server's access configuration file which is located in your "~/www/conf" directory under the name "access.conf".

<Directory /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/library/htaccess>
AuthType Basic
AuthName User Authentication Manager
AuthUserFile /usr/local/etc/httpd/htpasswd/admin.passwd
<Limit GET POST>
require user admin
</Limit>
</Directory>


Basically what this directive does is limit access to the User Authentication Manager (which is installed in your ~ /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/library/htaccess directory), allowing only those clients that authenticate using the user name "admin". The crypted password for the user "admin" is stored in the file "~/usr/local/etc/httpd/htpasswd/admin.passwd" (this password file was installed as part of the archive you untarred previously). The admin password is initially set to "5e5ame". You are strongly encouraged to change this password which can be done by performing the following steps:

1. telnet to your Virtual Server.
   
2. change directories to your home directory (type "cd" and hit return)
   
3. type "htpasswd ~/usr/local/etc/httpd/htpasswd/admin.passwd admin"
   you will then be prompted for a new password and asked to retype your new password.

If you want to allow users to change passwords remotely (described below) you will also need to be sure that the option "ExecCGI" is added to the htdocs Directory definition. The htdocs Directory definition is found in your ~/www/conf" directory under the name "access.conf" (the same file you modified above). In this file, locate the htdocs Directory definition.... it should look something like:

<Directory /usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs>

# This may also be "None", "All", or any combination of "Indexes",
# "Includes", or "FollowSymLinks"

Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes

.
.
.

</Directory> Modify the Options to include "ExecCGI" (as show below).

Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes ExecCGI

Accessing your User Authentication Manager

You can access the User Authentication Manager on your Virtual Server by typing the following URL into the web browser of your choice:

http://your.domain.name/cgi-bin/library/htaccess/htaccess.pl

You will be prompted for a user name and password before you can use the User Authentication Manager. Use "admin" and the user name and the password you selected during the configuration step above. After you have authenticated, you will be prompted for either 1) a directory that is currently password protected, or 2) a directory which you would like to password protect. Enter the directory with respect to your home directory, i.e. type "/www/htdocs/some/directory/" instead of "/usr/home/yourloginname/www/htdocs/some/directory/".

1. If the directory previously was configured for authentication, the User Authentication Manager will display the contents of the ".htaccess" file in this directory in a web-based form. You can then add new users or groups, remove current users or groups, change the password of current users, or change the composition of current groups. You will also see that the <Limit> definition(s) are displayed in a web-based form.

2. If the directory you selected was not previously password protected. The User Authentication Manager will create a default ".htaccess" file in that directory and then display it in a web-based form. You can then add new users and new groups as you desire.

Please Note: The User Authentication Manager assumes that you have some basic knowledge about ".htaccess" files. Should you find that you need more information about specific features of the User Authentication Manager, you should refer to the following URLs:

User Authentication Tutorial
The Limit Directive

Allowing Users to Change Passwords Remotely

Before a user can be provided with the capability of changing his or her using the User Authentication Manager, you must first use the User Authentication Manager to view or create a password protected directory. This is outlined in the "Accessing your User Authentication Manager" step above.

When you use the User Authentication Manager to view or create the ".htaccess" in a directory, a few changes are made to the file and directory contents. One such change includes making a "shortcut" to the User Authentication Manager in that directory. This "shortcut" is not too different than that you would find on a Windows 95 or Macintosh desktop and does not impact your disk usage in any significant way.

After you have accessed the directory using the User Authentication Manager, you can now allow any user to change his or her password via a web based form. The user need simply access the User Authentication Manager "shortcut" that is copied into the directory. For example, you might add something like this to the web content in the protected directory:

<a href="htaccess.pl">Change Your Password</a>

When your users access the User Authentication Manager in the directory, the Manager will display a form which allows the user to change their password.