• Article Type: General
• Product: MetaLib
• Product Version: 4

Description:
In Metalib v4, how is login for default users set up when standard users all use a remote login process?

For Metalib sites that have configured PDS to use a remote login server (as well as a remote login page outside of PDS), one outcome within the updated Metalib v4 and PDS 1.3 environment is this: The standard PDS login form does not show the local institution code as an option in the INSTITUTION drop-down menu.

What does this mean? In the short-term there is no immediate method to allow default portal users access to create or to modify QuickSets and display defaults controlled within My Space.

EXAMPLE DETAILS from standard tab_service.university:

The following example uses the Institution Code = UNIVERSITY and a tab_service.university that includes such authentication services as these:

[LOAD_LOGIN]
program = remote_load_login.pl
params = load-login-acc-mng
[END]

[REMOTE_LOGIN]
program = remote_login_gen_1.pl
params =
[END]

Resolution:
The following step-by-step process using the metalib_x_server.pl should allow a staff-only login process separate from the standard student and faculty login process directed to a remote server by PDS.

1. Create a second tab_service file copying from tab_service.metalib naming it something like tab_service.university_staff

2. Localize the AUTHENTICATE and BOR_INFO section

[AUTHENTICATE]
program = metalib_x_server.pl
params = local server IP or domain,port,BOR-AUTH,N,pds,pds
[END]

[BOR_INFO]
program = metalib_x_server.pl
params = local server IP or domain,port,BOR-INFO,N,pds,pds
[END]

3. Change the [INSTITUTE_DISPLAY] section as demonstrated:

[INSTITUTE_DISPLAY]
code = UNIVERSITY_STAFF (synchronized with name and code used in the new staff-only tab_service file)
lang = ENG
desc = Display Name of Institution, like University Staff
institute = INSTITUTION-CODE
[END]

Using the example institute = UNIVERSITY, the full contents of the tab_service.university_staff would be:

[AUTHENTICATE]
program = metalib_x_server.pl
params = university.edu,8332,BOR-AUTH,N,pds,pds
[END]

[BOR_INFO]
program = metalib_x_server.pl
params = university.edu,8332,BOR-INFO,N,pds,pds
[END]

[INSTITUTE_DISPLAY]
code = UNIVERSITY_STAFF
lang = ENG
desc = University Staff
institute = UNIVERSITY
[END]

Note: Within the INSTITUTE_DISPLAY stanza, confirm that code = UNIVERSITY_STAFF (correlates with whatever the name of the tab_service suffix, but that the institute used is the standard institution code, in this example UNIVERSITY.

4. Final step: Necessary HTTP syntax required in the URL to access this staff-only access

To gain access to this new login mechanism, have the staff in this example, institution = UNIVERSITY, use this link:

http://university.edu:8332/pds?func=load-login&institute=UNIVERSITY_STAFF&calling_system=metalib&url=http://university.edu:8332/V?func=quick-1

This link can be placed on any appropriate staff intranet page to help control access to a login method only library staff needs to use.

Please note: The staff-only tab_service file is called by virtue of the “institute=UNIVERSITY_STAFF” parameter.

The institute code in the URL needs to match the code parameter used in the name of the tab_service file and the value of the code in the INSTITUTE_DISPLAY section.

The link above will direct the users to the default login page where they can login as a local user.