[LON-CAPA-admin] Unix Users

[Stuart Raeburn]

Mark,

There is no requirement to have any LON-CAPA users in a domain who are  
filesystem authenticated (i.e., "unix" users).

However, when a new LON-CAPA domain is first set up, a user with a  
Domain Coordinator role needs to be created in the domain, and that is  
typically done by running the make_domain_coordinator.pl script in  
loncom/build within the lon-capa-X.Y.Z directory from where ./UPDATE  
was run to install LON-CAPA.

The make_domain_coordinator.pl script will create a new Linux account  
for the  username of the new DC, and that DC user will be filesystem  
authenticated within LON-CAPA.

If a domain prefers not to have any filesystem authenticated users in  
the domain, the authentication type for that DC user can be switched  
from filesystem authentication to one of internal, Kerberos 5, or  
local, by using Main Menu > "Create users or modify the roles and  
privileges of users" > "Add/Modify a User".

A Domain Coordinator can also change the authentication for existing users
by using:

Main Menu > "Create users or modify the roles and privileges of users"  
 > "Upload a File of Users"

and uploading a CSV file containing usernames, and then checking the  
"Yes" radiobutton for "Change authentication for existing users in  
domain <domain> to these settings?", and selecting the preferred  
authentication method.

LON-CAPA 2.6.0 discontinued support for switching authentication for  
existing users *to* filesystem authenticated via the web GUI.

Authors do not need to be filesystem authenticated.

In the early days of LON-CAPA, authors were provided with Linux  
accounts on a library server to allow them to access their  
Construction Spaces directly within ~/public_html on the filesystem.

That ceased to be supported in LON-CAPA 2.11.0 when authoring spaces  
were moved to /home/httpd/html/priv/<dom>/<username>.  For library  
servers using Apache/SSL, webDAV (support added in 2.11.0) can be used  
by an author to access a Construction Space directly, i.e., without  
using the web GUI, if a domain coordinator enables it.


Stuart Raeburn
LON-CAPA Academic Consortium

Quoting "Lucas, Mark" <lucasm at ohio.edu>:

> Could someone remind me - at this point who has to be a unix user on the
> system?  Does the domain coordinator need to have a unix account?
> At this point authors do not, correct?
>
> Preparing for a move of our library server to a VM over in   
> information technology
> and just getting a little nervous,
>
> Thanks,
> Mark
>
> --
> Mark Lucas 								email: lucasm at ohiou.edu
> 252D Clippinger Lab						phone: (740)597-2984
> Department of Physics and Astronomy			fax: (740)593-0433
> Ohio University
> Athens, OH 45701
>
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