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Configure Ezeelogin to authenticate using Windows_AD(Pam-Ldap) in ubuntu?

187  Manu Chacko March 27, 2025  Tweaks & Configuration

Configure Ezeelogin to authenticate using Windows_AD(Pam-LDAP) in Ubuntu 16.x, 18.x, 20.x, 22.x ?

Overview: This article provides steps to integrate Windows-AD (PAM-LDAP) in Ubuntu for SSH authentication via Ezeelogin. It includes PHP-LDAP installation, LDAP configuration through the web GUI, and setting up PAM_LDAP for SSH access, ensuring seamless LDAP user import and configuration verification.

Integration of WINDOWS-AD (PAM-LDAP) in Ubuntu

Install and set up the Active Directory

Note: Make sure that the PHP-LDAP extension is installed on the server. Replace the PHP version in the below command.

root@gateway:~# apt-get install phpx.x-ldap

example :~# apt-get install php8.2-ldap

root@gateway:~# systemctl restart apache2

Step 1:  Login to Web-GUI -> open settings -> LDAP

How to find base DN and bind RDN

Step 2: Add the details of LDAP configurations & enable Windows Active Directory.

Multiple URIs or a list of URIs can be specified in the format: 

  • ldaps://host.com:636/ ldaps://host.com:636/

(Only the protocol, hostname, and port fields are allowed.)

Step 3: Open Settings -> General -> Authentication -> Change web panel authentication to LDAP & enable External SSH Auth

Step 4: Select the LDAP users and import them to Ezeelogin.

  Step 5: You can confirm the imported LDAP users were listed in the Users tab. Now you can log in to ezeelogin with LDAP user in ezeelogin GUI

Note:  When importing an LDAP user, they will be assigned to the default group or the mapped user group. After the import, if we change the LDAP user to another user group, we will receive a note saying "Group Mismatch." This is not an error.

Note: After importing the users to Ezeelogin, log in with the user and set up the security code for the user under Account -> Password -> New Security Code 

Step 6: Make sure that UNIX ATTRIBUTES is enabled on WINDOWS(2003,2008,2012) SERVER 

Note: You do not need to install unix attributes on Windows 10 and Windows 2016 server OS.

Login to the Windows server and open the Command Prompt. Enter the following command:

Dism.exe/online/enable-feature /feature name:nis /all

 Reboot the server to complete the installation

Step 7: Make sure to add the values for UID, GID, Login Shell, Home Directory

 Win 2008 Unix Attributes

For Window 2016 AD  user set the attributes such as uidNumber = 10001 , gidNumber = 12001 , unixHomeDirectory = /home/mike , loginShell=/usr/local/bin/ezsh 

Note: For the  Unix  Attributes uidNumber, gidNumber, and login shell to be visible, make sure to click on the Filter button and select  ONLY " Show Only Writable Attributes" as shown below.

Let's configure PAM_LDAP Authentication for SSH  

 Login to Ezeelogin SSH server to configure pam-LDAP
 
Step 1: Install the pam-LDAP module by the following command

root@gateway:~# apt-get install ldap-auth-client ldap-auth-config nscd

Step 2: Enter LDAP URI, Base dn & select LDAP version 3
         

      Enter the details when it is prompted or you can add it later as follows.

Step 3: Add Binddn, bind password & Active Directory Mappings to /etc/ldap.conf  
root@gateway:~# nano /etc/ldap.conf
 

 base OU=developers,DC=adez,DC=com

 uri ldap://192.168.1.15

 binddn cn=admin,dc=eztest,dc=net

 bindpw chaSD@#234JH56hj^7

    

Note:  In Ubuntu 16.x, run the command  " ln -s /etc/ldap /etc/openldap"  as well.

Step 4: Search for RF 2307 (AD) mapping & add or uncomment the following lines 

nss_map_objectclass posixAccount user
nss_map_objectclass shadowAccount user
nss_map_attribute uid sAMAccountName
nss_map_attribute homeDirectory unixHomeDirectory
nss_map_attribute shadowLastChange pwdLastSet
nss_map_objectclass posixGroup group
nss_map_attribute uniqueMember member
pam_login_attribute sAMAccountName
pam_filter objectclass=User
pam_password ad

nss_override_attribute_value loginShell /usr/local/bin/ezsh

Step 5:  Append 'ldap' to password, group & shadow in /etc/nsswitch.conf  

root@gateway:~# cat /etc/nsswitch.conf

# /etc/nsswitch.conf

#

# Example configuration of GNU Name Service Switch functionality.

# If you have the `glibc-doc-reference' and `info' packages installed, try:

# `info libc "Name Service Switch"' for information about this file.

 

passwd:         compat  ldap   

group:          compat  ldap

shadow:         compat  ldap

 

hosts:          files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns

networks:       files

 

protocols:      db files

services:       db files

ethers:         db files

rpc:            db files

 

netgroup:       nis

Step 6: Enable auto-create home directory on login by adding the following to /etc/pam.d/common-session by the following command

root@gateway:~# echo "session optional pam_mkhomedir.so skel=/etc/skel umask=077" >> /etc/pam.d/common-session

 
Step 7: Edit /etc/pam.d/common-password and add the ldap entries.

root@gateway:~# vi /etc/pam.d/common-password

#look for the lines starting with the password and add the line below to enable authentication via LDAP.

password [success=1 user_unknown=ignore default=die] pam_ldap.so use_authtok try_first_pass

Step 8: Restart nscd service

root@gateway:~# service nscd restart   

Note: Ensure the login shell of LDAP user is /usr/local/bin/ezsh

Step 9: Now run the id/finger command and see whether you can get AD user details 

root@gateway:~# finger jake

Login: jake Name: jake t

Directory: /home/jake Shell: /usr/local/bin/ezsh

Last login Wed Jun 13 05:02 (EDT) on pts/1 from 10.1.1.13

No mail.

No Plan.

:~# id jake

uid=10001(jake) gid=120001(domain users) groups=1547600513(domain users)

Note:  Run an LDAP search to check the values returned from your AD server as follows. This is used for troubleshooting. Ensure that it returns the values of uid, gid, home directory, and login shell.

root@gateway:~# ldapsearch -x -LLL -E pr=200/noprompt -h 10.11.1.164 -D "[email protected]" -w admod_2016 -b "cn=jake,cn=users,dc=ad2016,dc=admod,dc=net"

 

dn: CN=jake,CN=Users,DC=ad2016,DC=admod,DC=net

objectClass: top

objectClass: person

objectClass: organizationalPerson

objectClass: user

cn: jake

givenName: jake

distinguishedName: CN=jake,CN=Users,DC=ad2016,DC=admod,DC=net

instanceType: 4

whenCreated: 20180703063304.0Z

whenChanged: 20180703063554.0Z

displayName: jake

uSNCreated: 45128

uSNChanged: 45136

name: jake

objectGUID:: ldpkFlnRs0O6irphlTq1AA==

userAccountControl: 512

badPwdCount: 0

codePage: 0

countryCode: 0

badPasswordTime: 0

lastLogoff: 0

lastLogon: 0

pwdLastSet: 131750731848783837

primaryGroupID: 513

objectSid:: AQUAAAAAAAUVAAAAmhs/bgMv2mlWATm4VQQAAA==

accountExpires: 9223372036854775807

logonCount: 0

sAMAccountName: jake

sAMAccountType: 805306368

userPrincipalName: [email protected]

objectCategory: CN=Person,CN=Schema,CN=Configuration,DC=ad2016,DC=admod,DC=net

dSCorePropagationData: 16010101000000.0Z

uidNumber: 10001

gidNumber: 12000

unixHomeDirectory: /home/jake

loginShell: /usr/local/bin/ezsh

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Troubleshooting Steps:

ERROR: Could not authenticate with any LDAP server

ERROR: Could not bind to any LDAP server: 80090308

Error log file and configuration file to troubleshoot.

Related Articles:

 How do I configure Ezeelogin to authenticate using Windows_AD(Pam-LDAP) in CentOS

 Assigning user groups for LDAP users?

Can we map the existing user group in LDAP to ezeelogin as the ezeelogin user group?
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