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

penfold_99 · January 5, 2009

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 · January 5, 2009

Cool ta! Guess what I am trying to figure out at the mo

I'll let you know how I go.

zag · January 6, 2009

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 · January 6, 2009

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 · January 6, 2009

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 · January 6, 2009

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 · January 6, 2009

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 · January 6, 2009

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 · January 6, 2009

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 · January 6, 2009

Cheers I shall look into this at some point then

addid · February 26, 2009

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.

April 16, 2009

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
			[b]objLeaf.SetInfo
[/b]
			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 · April 27, 2009

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 · April 28, 2009

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

Cheers

penfold_99 · April 28, 2009

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.

kieran8055 · April 28, 2009

just wanted to know whether i works with LDAP Capture.

Thanks

kieran8055 · April 28, 2009

Hi Penfold,

What i wanted to tell you is our SIMS.net server is on different domain and our Network users are on different domain.

Our moodle LDAP Caputure is authenticated to Network users Domain.

Any Suggestions,

penfold_99 · April 28, 2009

Hi Penfold,

What i wanted to tell you is our SIMS.net server is on different domain and our Network users are on different domain.

Our moodle LDAP Caputure is authenticated to Network users Domain.

Any Suggestions,

As long as your web server can ping the sims server you shouldn't have a problem with your setup.

kieran8055 · April 28, 2009

Can you give me some details on Access Manager Please,

we just wanted to pull Timetable from sims.net onto moodle, where as documents for SIMS2AD - Access Manager says to control student access to an education establishments computer network via sims.net.

Is that all the thing in the Contents(from documentation) as to be done to pull timetable from sims.net?

Thankyou very.

penfold_99 · April 28, 2009

Can you give me some details on Access Manager Please,

we just wanted to pull Timetable from sims.net onto moodle, where as documents for SIMS2AD - Access Manager says to control student access to an education establishments computer network via sims.net.

Is that all the thing in the Contents(from documentation) as to be done to pull timetable from sims.net?

Thankyou very.

The Access Manager is standalone and is not required if you only want to display the timetable.

6Foot2 · April 28, 2009

Hi all,

Anyone doing something similar for Facility/ePortal and Moodle?

IT_Man_Dan · April 29, 2009

Good morning all,

Glad I've found this thread. I wonder if you can help me with getting SIMS.net timetables into moodle.

Firstly here's a brief summary of my setup.

I've got moodle setup using LDAP capture to create the accounts. My AD and Sims.net are totally seperate and don't talk to each other. When we get new students' they're manually created in AD, or batch creation with a csv file.

Basically I want to be able to pull student timetables across from sims but don't know the best way to go about this.

If I was to follow this document integrating moodle and sims etc would it do what I want it to do? Am I right in thinking that when a student or staff was then added to sims it would create a user in AD automatically?

I realise I'd have to populate the employee id field in AD with the students upn number and staff's staffcode.

I'm just a bit confused.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Dan

kieran8055 · April 29, 2009

Hi Dan,

Well we are trying to integrate sims with moodle, firstly we should have employeeID in AD for each account and should set to UPN for student and Staff code for staff.

This is to link AD users with SIMS.net, As far i think when account is created on SIMS.net it wont create on AD account automatically.

Rest all is in the moodle doucmentation.

Well we got stuck at adding employeeID field to AD profile.

Cheers :0)

penfold_99 · April 29, 2009

If I was to follow this document integrating moodle and sims etc would it do what I want it to do? Am I right in thinking that when a student or staff was then added to sims it would create a user in AD automatically?

Hi Dan,

The documentation use to include a feature which would autocreate users ad when they were enroled on sims. I have removed it as i'm am currently re-writing this module to allow for greated flexibility.

I realise I'd have to populate the employee id field in AD with the students upn number and staff's staffcode.

What you need to do is correctyly fill your ad employeedid fields with either upn of staff code.

Install FreeTDS if required. (this normal stops it working if not setup correctly)

download, install and configure the SIMS.net enrolment plugin, but dont enable it.

download, install and configure the SIMS.net timetable block

Then hopefully it should magically work

kieran8055 · April 29, 2009

In Our AD employeeID field doesnot appear.

Any suggestions Please.

Thanks.

Edited April 29, 2009 by kieran8055

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

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