Question

Keeping authentication across subdomains (different servers)

Asked by: VSE

We currently have a main website that performs authentication (www.domain.com) using mod_auth_mysql against a mysql database.  This website stores a cookie as well with user ID information.

We are setting up an application on a different server that is a subdomain (app.domain.com).   The application has its own user table in its database but supports external authentication against a separate database using REMOTE_USER.

The problem is that since the application installation exists on a totally separate server, REMOTE_USER does not exist when the user browses from the main site to the application site.  However, the domain cookie is readable.

I have code that parses the cookie, finds the user ID, does a mysql query and determines the username of the user.   Is there a way, using PHP, to then use that username to populate REMOTE_USER so that authentication will be bypassed since the user has a valid cookie for the domain?  Or any other way to utilize the cookie to bypass http authentication?  We want the browsing experience for the main website and the application to be seamless.

Thanks!

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Asked On
2005-12-24 at 13:20:20ID21674998
Tags

across

,

authentication

,

subdomain

Topic

PHP Scripting Language

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
12

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Answers

 

by: D4LyPosted on 2005-12-24 at 14:02:14ID: 15547829

I believe your question for seemlessness all boils down to:

Can you set the values of $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] , $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW'], and $_SERVER['AUTH_TYPE'] ?

ie:

is $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] = $_COOKIE['username'];

allowed?

This answer I dont know...

 

by: Michael701Posted on 2005-12-24 at 17:25:47ID: 15548149

when you set your cookies use the domain without the www. this way they will be available over the different subdomains

ie

 header( "Set-Cookie: cookie_name=".$cookie_value."; Max-Age=".$cookie_time."; Domain=domain.com; Path=/;");

Michael


 

by: D4LyPosted on 2005-12-24 at 20:14:45ID: 15548294

>>However, the domain cookie is readable.

I think this means he's already taken care of that problem Michael701

 

by: Michael701Posted on 2005-12-25 at 06:08:00ID: 15548886

yea, I really should awake up before answering. Kinda read that part after I posted.

Anyway it's like the signup I use on a site that changes subdomains.

I set two domain wide cookies, one with the username, and the other a unique random number I called 'checksum' that when run through a MD5 will match a number stored in their user profile.

to verify them

select first_name from users where user_id=$user_id and login_checksum=MD5($_COOKIE['checksum']);

NOTE: Both MySQL and PHP have MD5 functions. They do NOT return the same answers. Select one and always use it. There was also some talk about PHP5 MD5 function being changed. This won't be an issue if you set the checksum as each user logs in.

Michael

 

by: VSEPosted on 2005-12-25 at 07:52:44ID: 15549121

Well, as I said, both domains can read the cookie, so that's fine.

But the new app wants to read from the REMOTE_USER server variable, which gets set when people log into the main domain ... but is null when they switch to the app domain.  So I'm looking for a way to set REMOTE_USER server variable, if it's even possible.  I know who the REMOTE_USER should be since I can read the cookie and extract the username of the person from it;  I just need to be able to set it.

 

by: VSEPosted on 2005-12-25 at 15:00:27ID: 15549609

I guess basically what I'm looking for is a way to use the domain cookie to take care of http authentication transparently on the subdomain the first time the user tries to access it.   Is this even possible?

 

by: D4LyPosted on 2005-12-25 at 15:55:01ID: 15549663

Have you tried:

$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] = $_COOKIE['username'];

yet?

 

by: VSEPosted on 2005-12-27 at 10:00:02ID: 15556947

I'm going to try that now.

 

by: VSEPosted on 2005-12-27 at 13:57:46ID: 15558590

That didn't work.

Cluttering up the problem is the fact that the www site is on a different physical server than the app site.  So that means, I would assume, that server environment variables like REMOTE_USER won't be maintained from box to box even if they're the same domain?

 

by: D4LyPosted on 2005-12-27 at 14:57:13ID: 15558981

that would be correct.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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