SharePoint 2010 with LDAP authentication, using NOVELL eDirectory

Question

One of my customers needs a SharePoint application that allows people to authenticate with either an Active Directory account (internal staff) or a Novell eDirectory account (external customers).
Using the following article as a base guide (http://blogs.technet.com/b/speschka/archive/2009/11/05/configuring-forms-based-authentication-in-sharepoint-2010.aspx)
I configured a claims-based test application that had Windows authentication enabled and Forms based authentication (FBA) enabled (this is on a Windows 2008 server and not a domain controller)
In the Membership provider name text box I entered "LdapMember"
In the Role provider name  text box I entered "LdapRole"
In the web.config for the SharePoint Central Admin, I modified/added the following details right before </system.web>
<membership>
<providers>
<add name="LdapMember"
type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapMembershipProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
server="ldap.server.address"
port="389"
useSSL="false"
connectionUsername="cn=ldapserviceid,ou=sharepoint,ou=test,ou=location,o=validobject"
connectionPassword= "validpassword"
userDNAttribute="dn"
userNameAttribute="cn"
userContainer="OU=people,O=validobject"
userObjectClass="person"
userFilter="(ObjectClass=person)"
scope="Subtree"
otherRequiredUserAttributes="sn,givenname,cn" />
</providers>
</membership>
<roleManager enabled="true" defaultProvider="AspNetWindowsTokenRoleProvider" >
<providers>
<add name="LdapRole"
type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapRoleProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
server="ldap.server.address"
port="389"
useSSL="false"
connectionUsername="cn=ldapserviceid,ou=sharepoint,ou=test,ou=location,o=validobject"
connectionPassword= "validpassword"
groupContainer="OU=people,O=validobject"
groupNameAttribute="cn"
groupNameAlternateSearchAttribute="samAccountName"
groupMemberAttribute="member"
userNameAttribute="sAMAccountName"
dnAttribute="distinguishedName"
groupFilter="((ObjectClass=group)"
userFilter="((ObjectClass=person)"
scope="Subtree" />
</providers>
</roleManager>
I modified the SecurityTokenServiceApplication web.config with these details
<system.web>
<membership>
<providers>
<add name="LdapMemebr"
type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapMembershipProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
server="ldap.server.address"
port="389"
useSSL="false"
connectionUsername="cn=ldapserviceid,ou=sharepoint,ou=test,ou=location,o=validobject"
connectionPassword= "validpassword"
userDNAttribute="dn"
userNameAttribute="cn"
userContainer="OU=people,O=validobject"
userObjectClass="person"
userFilter="(ObjectClass=person)"
scope="Subtree"
otherRequiredUserAttributes="sn,givenname,cn" />
</providers>
</membership>
<roleManager enabled="true">
<providers>
<add name="LdapRole"
type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapRoleProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
server="ldap.server.address"
port="389"
useSSL="false"
connectionUsername="cn=ldapserviceid,ou=sharepoint,ou=test,ou=location,o=validobject"
connectionPassword= "validpassword"
groupContainer="OU=people,O=validobject"
groupNameAttribute="cn"
groupNameAlternateSearchAttribute="samAccountName"
groupMemberAttribute="member"
userNameAttribute="sAMAccountName"
dnAttribute="distinguishedName"
groupFilter="(&amp;(ObjectClass=group))"
userFilter="(&amp;(ObjectClass=person))"
scope="Subtree" />
</providers>
</roleManager>
</system.web>
I modified the web.config of the test application I created with these details
<roleManager defaultProvider="c" enabled="true" cacheRolesInCookie="false">
<providers>
<add name="c" type="Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Claims.SPClaimsAuthRoleProvider, Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c" />
<add name="LdapRole" type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapRoleProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
server="ldap.server.address"
port="389"
useSSL="false"
connectionUsername="cn=ldapserviceid,ou=sharepoint,ou=test,ou=location,o=validobject"
connectionPassword= "validpassword"
groupContainer="OU=people,O=validobject"
groupNameAttribute="cn"
groupNameAlternateSearchAttribute="samAccountName"
groupMemberAttribute="member"
userNameAttribute="cn"
dnAttribute="dn"
groupFilter="(&amp;(ObjectClass=group))"
userFilter="(&amp;(ObjectClass=person))"
scope="Subtree" />
</providers>
</roleManager>
<membership defaultProvider="i">
<providers>
<add name="i" type="Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Claims.SPClaimsAuthMembershipProvider, Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c" />
<add name="LdapMember" type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapMembershipProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
server="ldap.server.address"
port="389"
useSSL="false"
connectionUsername="cn=ldapserviceid,ou=sharepoint,ou=test,ou=location,o=validobject"
connectionPassword= "validpassword"
useDNAttribute="true"
userDNAttribute="dn"
userNameAttribute="cn"
userContainer="OU=people,O=validobject"
userObjectClass="person"
userFilter="(ObjectClass=person)"
scope="Subtree"
otherRequiredUserAttributes="sn,givenname,cn" />
</providers>
</membership>
With all of this configured, I can go to the new test site, I do see the form where I can choose either Windows authentication or Forms authentication. I can successfully login with Windows authentication, but forms authentication gives me me an error.
The server could not sign you in. Make sure your user name and password are correct, and then try again.
I can successfully login to a LDAP management tool, using the same credentials I entered on the form, so I know the username and password being submitted are correct. I get the following items in the event viewer
8306 - SharePoint Foundation - The security token username and password could not be validated.
in the SharePoint trace logs - Password check on 'testuser' generated exception: 'System.ServiceModel.FaultException`1[Microsoft.IdentityModel.Tokens.FailedAuthenticationException]: The security token username and password could not be validated. and
then this:
Request for security token failed with exception: System.ServiceModel.FaultException: The security token username and password could not be validated.
at Microsoft.IdentityModel.Protocols.WSTrust.WSTrustChannel.ReadResponse(Message response)
at Microsoft.IdentityModel.Protocols.WSTrust.WSTrustChannel.Issue(RequestSecurityToken rst, RequestSecurityTokenResponse& rstr)
at Microsoft.IdentityModel.Protocols.WSTrust.WSTrustChannel.Issue(RequestSecurityToken rst)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSecurityContext.SecurityTokenForContext(Uri context, Boolean bearerToken, SecurityToken onBehalfOf, SecurityToken actAs, SecurityToken delegateTo)
I monitored the LDAP server and did a packet-trace on the communication happening between the SharePoint server and the LDAP server and it is a bit odd. It goes like this:
The SharePoint server successfully connects to the LDAP server, binding the ldapserviceid+password
The LDAP server tells the SharePoint server it is ready to communicate
the SharePoint server sends an LDAP query to the LDAP server, asking if the name entered in the form authentication page can be found.
The LDAP server does the query, successfully finds the entered name and sends a success message back to SharePoint
The LDAP server sends notification that it is done and is closing the connection that was bound to theldapserviceid+password
The SharePoint server acknowledges the connection is closing
... and then nothing happens, except the error on SharePoint
What I understand is that the SharePoint server, once it gets confirmation that the submitted username exists in LDAP, should attempt to make a new LDAP connection, bound to the username and password submitted in the form (rather than the LDAP service account
specified in the web.config). That part does not seem to be happening.
I am at a standstill on this and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

OK, our problem was resolved by removing any information about the ASP.NET role manager. Initially, we had information about a role manager defined in three different web.config files, as well as in the SharePoint Central Administration site, where there
is the checkbox to Enable Forms Based Authentication (you see this when you first create the new SharePoint app, or afterwards by modifying the Authentication Provider for the app.) In either case, you will see two text boxes, underneath the checkbox item
for enabling Forms Based Authentication:
"ASP.NET Membership provider name"
"ASP.NET Role manager name"
We entered a name for Membership provider, and left Role manager blank.
In the web.config for the SharePoint Central Administration site, the SecurityTokenServiceApplication app, and the web app we created with FBA enabled, we entered the following:
<membership>
<providers>
<add name="LdapMember"
type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapMembershipProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
server="ldap.server.address"
port="389"
useSSL="false"
connectionUsername="cn=ldapserviceid,ou=sharepoint,ou=test,ou=location,o=validobject"
connectionPassword="validpassword"
useDNAttribute="false"
userDNAttribute="dn"
userNameAttribute="cn"
userContainer="OU=people,O=validobject"
userObjectClass="person"
userFilter="(ObjectClass=person)"
scope="Subtree"
otherRequiredUserAttributes="sn,givenname,cn" />
</providers>
</membership>
<roleManager>
<providers>
</providers>
</roleManager>
useDNAttribute="false" turned out to be important as well.
So, for us to get LDAP authentication working between SharePoint 2010 and Novel eDirectory, we had to:
leave anything related to the role provider blank
configure the web.config in three different applications, with the proper connection information to reach our Novel eDir
Ensure that useDNAttribute="false" was used in all three on the modified web.config files.
Since our eDir is flat and used pretty much exclusively for external users, we had never done any sort of advanced role management configuration in eDir. So, by having role manager details in the web.config files, SharePoint was waiting for information from
a non-existent role manager.