RT::Authen::ExternalAuth - prevents creation of users

RT Users
1

Hi.

I’ve had a lot of woe with trying to use this module. First off, I
didn’t expect that simply installing the module would effect our
current RT functionality without even doing anything.

All I did was:

cpan -i RT::Authen::ExternalAuth

This made an error message come up when trying to log into RT:
RT::User::UpdateFromExternal Unimplemented in HTML::Mason::Commands.
(/usr/share/request-tracker3.6/html/Callbacks/ExternalAuth/autohandler/Auth
line 73)

However, I just had to refresh and it let me log in. And once I added
the ExternalAuth config variables to RT_SiteConfig.pm these problems
went away.
$ExternalAuthPriority
and
$ExternalSettings

This seemed to work to start with: if someone logged in, it would
authenticate against ActiveDirectory (my external auth source) and
then it would create a user internally (with no permissions) and log
them in.

However, later (not sure what I did) it stopped allowed me to create
new users - meaning the over process didn’t work, and new requests
couldn’t be sent to RT, as creating users is an important part of it.
I agonised over what was causing this for ages.

Eventually I started afresh on a new box, running Ubuntu. I followed
debian package install instructions - to install rt-3.6.
After I had it working fine. Then all I did was install ExternalAuth
and restarted apache and it did the same error with preventing users
being created.

I have decided to completely remove RT and start again and try to use
the NTLM module instead, but I just thought I’d let you know of these
errors.

Suggestions:

Please put a warning on ExternalAuth - Request Tracker Wiki that the mere installation of the module may break your RT.
If you can, set it up to be installed via aptitude (or apt-get) because then it can at least be removed easily.
Please please please stop if from changing your RT configuration merely by installing it. You should be able to install it without worry, and then activate/de-activate it independently.

Regards.
Robin.

2

Robin Winslow wrote:

Hi.

Suggestions:

Please put a warning on ExternalAuth - Request Tracker Wiki that the mere installation of the module may break your RT.

It doesn’t break it, it changes how it works, that being the intention
of an extension. However, the next time I get a chance to release an
update there will be a global enable/disable ExternalAuth variable so
that you can install the extension but still not use it until you are ready.

If you can, set it up to be installed via aptitude (or apt-get) because then it can at least be removed easily.

That’s not up to me, that’s up to people who create packages for linux
distributions. Speak to whoever maintains the RT package for your
distribution.

Please please please stop if from changing your RT configuration merely by installing it. You should be able to install it without worry, and then activate/de-activate it independently.

As above, independent activation is planned for the next release, but
you must understand that installation of an extension such as this is an
intentional change to the active code. The configuration however does
not change until you change it with the supplied examples.
Kind Regards,

Mike Peachey, IT
Tel: +44 114 281 2655
Fax: +44 114 281 2951
Jennic Ltd, Furnival Street, Sheffield, S1 4QT, UK
Comp Reg No: 3191371 - Registered In England

3

Please please please stop if from changing your RT configuration
merely by installing it. You should be able to install it without
worry, and then activate/de-activate it independently.

As above, independent activation is planned for the next release, but
you must understand that installation of an extension such as this
is an
intentional change to the active code. The configuration however
does
not change until you change it with the supplied examples.

If you come up to a modern Module::Install::RTx and use RT 3.8, this
actually should magically “just start working” using the enw plugins
system.