The Definitive Guide to SIMS.net, Moodle and LDAP Integration

[penfold_99]

Hi All,

We have now published our documentation, The Definitive Guide to SIMS.net, Moodle and LDAP Integration.

I have published it on the moodle website Here

There is also a SIMS.net Timetable module for Moodle.

[TechMonkey]

Cool ta! Guess what I am trying to figure out at the mo I'll let you know how I go.

[zag]

Interesting piece but I'm not sure about scheduled tasks and scripts to simply get sims working with AD. Seems a bit unreliable to me.

[CyberNerd]

Interesting piece but I'm not sure about scheduled tasks and scripts to simply get sims working with AD. Seems a bit unreliable to me.

The only alternative I can think would be to remove AD altogether and use SIMS as a backend directory service for SAMBA.
Are Windows scheduled tasks that unreliable?

[mrforgetful]

Do we need to use this part? We dont' use Kixstart scripts...


Required Logon Script Changes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The below code needs to be added to the beginning of the Kixtart Logon Script.
This will check the current time and see if the user belongs to a group that has restricted computer access.
If the user has logged on during a restricted time a message box will be displayed informing of this and then forcefully log them off

[penfold_99]

Interesting piece but I'm not sure about scheduled tasks and scripts to simply get sims working with AD. Seems a bit unreliable to me.

Could you explain how you think they are unreliable?

[penfold_99]

Do we need to use this part? We dont' use Kixstart scripts...


Required Logon Script Changes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The below code needs to be added to the beginning of the Kixtart Logon Script.
This will check the current time and see if the user belongs to a group that has restricted computer access.
If the user has logged on during a restricted time a message box will be displayed informing of this and then forcefully log them off

Hi,

Do you run a batch file or vbscript for a login script?

If you use a batch file you would need to implement kix, for vbscript it will need to be converted.

NOTE: This section is only needed if you want to implement SIMS2AD Access Manager and is not required if you only want use SIMS2AD.

[mrforgetful]

We use a standard login script not vb.

The functionality I'm looking for is so that Moodle will have their timetable from SIMS.net.

Currently Moodle is already tied into our AD using ldap but SIMS is completely separate from both.

[CyberNerd]

We use a standard login script not vb.

The functionality I'm looking for is so that Moodle will have their timetable from SIMS.net.

Currently Moodle is already tied into our AD using ldap but SIMS is completely separate from both.

you don't need the access manager part. The SIMS2AD access manager is an addon that allows staff to enable/disable students accounts or give them a logons at certain times. The logon script simply checks the correct group membership and logs them off.

[mrforgetful]

Cheers I shall look into this at some point then

[addid]

Hi,
were you successful in getting the timetables acrossed into moodle?

We have followed the guide and our timetables are all blank. Did you come acrossed the same problem and if so what did you need to do to get them reading them?

Or could you explain how the mechanism of reading the timetables works? All of the views appear to be working in SQL Server management studio except for dob.vbs_admanager, do you think this would have any bearing on the problem?

We are also not getting course enrolment coming acrossed.

My feeling is we must have login credentials wrong somewhere but not sure where to look.

[j17sparky]

Has anyone managed to get the SIMS2AD bit working? getting the error

Line:502
The specified directory service attribute or value does not exist
Code: 8007200A

The section of code this relates to is (Line 502 in bold)

if intCounter = 0 then
			If USER_CREATION = TRUE then
				'msgbox ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count)
				Set objContainer = GetObject("LDAP://" & strIntakeOUPrefix & ArrStudents(STUDENT_INTAKE_YEAR,count) & "," & strBaseOU  & "," & objRoot.Get("defaultNamingContext"))
				Set objLeaf = objContainer.Create("User", "cn=" & ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count))

				objLeaf.displayName = ArrStudents(STUDENT_PREF_FORENAME,count) & " " & ArrStudents(STUDENT_PREF_SURNAME,count)
				objLeaf.givenName  = ArrStudents(STUDENT_PREF_FORENAME,count)
				If not isnull(ArrStudents(STUDENT_MIDNAME,count)) then
					objLeaf.initials = ucase(Left(ArrStudents(STUDENT_MIDNAME,count),1))
				end if
				objLeaf.sn = ArrStudents(STUDENT_PREF_SURNAME,count)
				objLeaf.Put "company", strSchool
				if ArrStudents(STUDENT_REG,count) <> null then
					objLeaf.Put "department", ArrStudents(STUDENT_REG,count)
				end if
				objLeaf.Put "description", array("Student " & ArrStudents(STUDENT_INTAKE_YEAR,count) & " / " & left(replace(ArrStudents(STUDENT_DOB,count),"/",""),4) & right(replace(ArrStudents(STUDENT_DOB,count),"/",""),2))
				if ArrStudents(STUDENT_UPN,count) <> null then
					objLeaf.Put "employeeId", ArrStudents(STUDENT_UPN,count)
				end if
				objLeaf.Put "employeeType", "STUDENT"
				if FOLDER_CREATION = "SAMBA" then
					objLeaf.Put "homeDirectory","\\" &  strServerComputer & "\" & ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count)
				elseif FOLDER_CREATION = "WINDOWS" then
					objLeaf.Put "homeDirectory","\\" &  strServerComputer & "\" & ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count) & "$"
				end if
				objLeaf.sAMAccountName = ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count)
				objLeaf.Put "profilePath", strProfilePath & ArrStudents(STUDENT_INTAKE_YEAR,count)
				objLeaf.Put "scriptPath", strLogonScript
				objLeaf.Put "userPrincipalName" ,  ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count) & "@" & objSysInfo.DomainDNSName

				If EmailService = True then
					objLeaf.Put "mailNickname", ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count)
					objLeaf.Put "mail", ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count) & "@" & strEmailDomain
					objLeaf.Put "proxyAddresses", "SMTP:" & ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count) & "@" & strEmailDomain
					objLeaf.put "targetAddress","SMTP:" & ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count) & "@" & strEmailDomain
				End if
				If TerminalService = True then
					objLeaf.TerminalServicesProfilePath = strTerminalServicesProfilePath
				end if
				objLeaf.SetInfo

				objLeaf.homeDrive = strHomeDrive
				objLeaf.userAccountControl = ACCOUNT_ENABLED
				objLeaf.pwdLastSet = 0
				objLeaf.SetPassword left(replace(ArrStudents(STUDENT_DOB,count),"/",""),4) & right(replace(ArrStudents(STUDENT_DOB,count),"/",""),2)

				objLeaf.SetInfo

				call formatErrorMsg(ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count)," - " & ArrStudents(STUDENT_PREF_FORENAME,count) & " " & ArrStudents(STUDENT_PREF_SURNAME,count) & " - " & left(replace(ArrStudents(STUDENT_DOB,count),"/",""),4) & right(replace(ArrStudents(STUDENT_DOB,count),"/",""),2) & " - " & ArrStudents(STUDENT_REG,count) & " - AD Account Created","Account Creation")


				Set objUser = GetObject _
					("LDAP://CN=" & ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count) & "," & strIntakeOUPrefix & ArrStudents(STUDENT_INTAKE_YEAR,count) & "," & strBaseOU  & "," & objRoot.Get("defaultNamingContext"))

				Set objGroup = GetObject _
										("LDAP://CN="& ArrStudents(STUDENT_INTAKE_YEAR,count) & "," & strIntakeOUPrefix & ArrStudents(STUDENT_INTAKE_YEAR,count) & "," & strBaseOU  & "," & objRoot.Get("defaultNamingContext"))

				objGroup.GetInfoEx Array("primaryGroupToken"), 0
				intPrimaryGroupToken = objGroup.Get("primaryGroupToken")

				objGroup.PutEx ADS_PROPERTY_APPEND, _
						"member", Array("CN=" & ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count) & "," & strIntakeOUPrefix & ArrStudents(STUDENT_INTAKE_YEAR,count) & "," & strBaseOU  & "," & objRoot.Get("defaultNamingContext"))
				objGroup.SetInfo
				objUser.Put "primaryGroupID", intPrimaryGroupToken
				objUser.SetInfo

				call formatErrorMsg(ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count),"Added to Group " & ArrStudents(STUDENT_INTAKE_YEAR,count) ,"Account Creation")

				for each arrUserGroups in arrUserDomainGroups
						Set objGroup = GetObject("LDAP://CN=" & arrUserGroups &",CN=Users," & objRoot.Get("defaultNamingContext"))
						objGroup.add(objLeaf.ADsPath)

						call formatErrorMsg(ArrStudents(STUDENT_USERNAME,count),"Added to Group " & arrUserGroups,"Account Creation")

				next

[penfold_99]

Hi All,

I'm please to announce the release of the SIMS.net Erolment Plug-in for Moodle, this is modified version of the eternal database plug-in tailored to SIMS.net use.

I have updated the SIMS.net Timetable Block to use this Plug-in instead of the external database plug-in.

I have also revamped the documenation on Moodle Docs is has more detailed information about setting up FreeTDS for Linux and Windows.

[kieran8055]

Can we integrate it with LDAP Capture, cause we are using LDAP Capture for authentication.

Cheers

[penfold_99]

Can we integrate it with LDAP Capture, cause we are using LDAP Capture for authentication.

Cheers

Can you expand on integrate?

It shouldn't affect LDAP Capture as i haven't modified the ldap code just the configuration.