documentation:2.0:soapsessionbackend
Keywords: documentation,2.0,soapsessionbackend

# SOAP session backend

LL::NG portal provides SOAP end points for sessions management:

- sessions/: read only access to sessions (enough for distant Handlers)
- adminSessions/: read/write access to sessions (required for distant Portal, distant Manager or distant Handlers which modify sessions)

This session backend can be used to share sessions stored in a non-network backend (like file session backend) or in a network backend protected with a firewall that only accepts HTTP flows.

Most of the time, SOAP session backend is used by Handlers installed on external servers.

To configure it, SOAP session backend will be set trough Manager in global configuration (used by all Hanlders), and the real session backend will be configured for local components in lemonldap-ng.ini.

## Setup

### Manager

First, active SOAP in `General parameters` » `Advanced parameters` » `SOAP`.

Then, set `Lemonldap::NG::Common::Apache::Session::SOAP` in `General parameters` » `Sessions` » `Session storage` » `Apache::Session module` and add the following parameters (case sensitive):

Required parameters
Name | Comment | Example
--- | --- | ---
proxy | URL of sessions SOAP end point | http://auth.example.com/index.fcgi/sessions

Use /adminSessions if the Handler need to modify the session, for example if you configured an idle timeout.

By default, only few sessions keys are shared by SOAP (ipAddr, _utime, _session_id), you need to define which other keys you want to share in `General parameters` » `Advanced parameters` » `SOAP` » `Exported attributes`.

You must start with `+` to keep default keys, else they will not be shared. For example:

    + uid cn mail

To share only the listed attributes:

    _utime _session_id uid cn mail

### Apache

Sessions SOAP end points access must be allowed in Apache portal configuration (for example, access by IP range):

    # SOAP functions for sessions management (disabled by default)
    <Location /index.fcgi/adminSessions>
        Require 192.168.2.0/24
    </Location>

    # SOAP functions for sessions access (disabled by default)
    <Location /index.fcgi/sessions>
        Require 192.168.2.0/24
    </Location>

### Real session backend

Real session backend will be configured in `lemonldap-ng.ini`, in `portal` section (the portal hosts the SOAP service for sessions, and will do the link between SOAP requests and real sessions).

For example, if real sessions are stored in files:

    [portal]
    globalStorage = Apache::Session::File
    globalStorageOptions = { 'Directory' => '/var/lib/lemonldap-ng/sessions/', 'LockDirectory' => '/var/lib/lemonldap-ng/sessions/lock/', }

If your sessions explorer is on the same server that the portal, either use the adminSessions end point in Manager configuration, or override the `globalStorage` and `globalStorageOptions` parameters in section all (and not portal) of `lemonldap-ng.ini`.