Cloud LDAP for Zoho One

Cloud LDAP for Zoho One

What is LDAP?

Cloud LDAP in Zoho One enables organizations to utilize LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) for authentication and user management, eliminating the need to maintain an on-premises LDAP server. By using Zoho’s cloud-based infrastructure, admins can integrate Zoho One with LDAP-compatible applications and services, making it easier to manage user identities and control access securely.

This eliminates the hassle of managing physical directory servers while still giving you the flexibility of traditional LDAP. Cloud LDAP is especially useful for those who want:
  1. A single source of truth for all users and credentials.
  2. Easy integration with LDAP-supported applications like Linux systems, Atlassian Jira, OpenVPN, printers, and more.
  3. Secure authentication over the cloud (LDAPS).

What is a service account?

A service account in Cloud LDAP is an account created in Zoho One solely for enabling applications to connect to the directory and perform authentication and directory lookup operations in a secured way. It is used by applications or services (like Jira and VPN servers) to bind to Cloud LDAP. In LDAP terms, this is usually the BindDN (distinguished name) + password that the application uses.To set up and manage Cloud LDAP, you'll first need to add LDAP clients to Zoho One (eg., printers, Atlassian Jira), configure access permissions for each client, and connect them to the Cloud LDAP service.

Prerequisites

  1. Zoho One account with admin privileges
  2. Cloud LDAP enabled in your Zoho One admin console
  3. Users already added or synced to your Zoho One account

The steps to perform LDAP-related actions vary between the two User Interface versions supported in Zoho One. Select the UI version you use from the tabs below and proceed with the steps that follow.

Spaces UI
Unified UI
Spaces UI

Add LDAP clients

  1. Sign in to Zoho One, then click  in the top-right corner.
  2. Go to LDAP in the left panel, if not configured, click Configure LDAP. If already configured, click Add LDAP Client in the Clients tab.



  3. Under LDAP client name field, enter a name (for example, Printer).
  4. Click Add service account, if service account not added already. Enter a username for the service account, copy the generated password, and then click Save
    Notes
    You'll need the generated password when connecting your client to the Secure LDAP service, so make sure to save it. Otherwise, you will have to regenerate a new password.
  5. Now, select from the added accounts and click Save and Next.

Configure access permissions and attributes

The access permissions page will automatically be displayed once you have added an LDAP client. It determines how applications interact with your directory and what data can be accessed. It has two sections:

User Authentication - This setting allows the admins to restrict which users are allowed to authenticate via Cloud LDAP. In other words, only the users with LDAP permissions can authenticate successfully. This operation is read-only, so the application cannot modify the user credentials in Zoho One. 
Read User Information - This setting specifies which attributes of the user the LDAP client can access to retrieve user information. You can choose the attributes you want to expose via Attribute mapping in Zoho One.
  1. To include users that an LDAP client can access to verify the user credentials, tick the checkbox Verify user credentials.

  2. Tick the checkbox Read user information to select the attributes that the LDAP client can have access to.
  3. Select one from the available LDAP attributes and click Save and Next.
  4. To add a custom attribute, go to the Attributes tab, click Manage Attributes.
  5. Click Add Attribute. Enter an attribute name.
  6. For Field value, select from the profile fields or enter a hardcoded value. Then, click Add. You can select the custom-added attribute on the permissions page. 

Assign members

Once you've added LDAP client and configured permissions for it, you can now assign members to each client.
  1. In the Summary page, click Assign Members at the bottom page to assign users to the client or click on the required client, then click . Click Assign Members.

  2. Under Choose Users, click to either select users manually or attach file.
  3. After selecting users, click Assign.

Add a service account

  1. Under LDAP section, go to Service Accounts tab.
  2. Click Add Service Account.
  3. Enter a username for the service account, copy the generated password, and then click Save.
Notes
You'll need the generated password when connecting your client to the Secure LDAP service, so make sure to save it. Otherwise, you will have to regenerate a new password.

Delete a service account

  1. Under LDAP section, go to Service Accounts tab.
  2. Hover over the required service account, and click Delete.
Notes
If the service account is mapped to clients, you'll have to dissociate the clients from the service account to delete.

Edit access permissions

  1. Sign in to Zoho One, then click  in the top-right corner.
  2. Go to LDAP, and click Clients tab.
  3. Click on the required client from the list, click Edit, and then click Save and Next.
  4. Tick or untick the access permissions checkbox based on your preference.

Edit LDAP client details

  1. Go to Clients tab, and hover over the required client name.
  2. Click , then click Edit.
  3. Edit the necessary details on the page and click Save and Next.

Deactivate/ Delete LDAP client

  1. Go to Clients tab, and hover over the required client name.
  2. Click  , then click Deactivate.
  3. To delete a client, click Delete. Once deleted, you can no longer retrieve the client's information. 

Connect LDAP clients to the Cloud LDAP service

Before connecting your LDAP client to the Cloud LDAP service, make sure you have added your client to Zoho One as a LDAP server, configured access permissions, and optionally generated access credentials.
Info
Depending on the type of client, there are different instructions for connecting them to the LDAP service.
To begin, open the LDAP client's authentication or directory settings and enter the necessary details listed below. Alternatively, you can find them in the Info tab > LDAP > Admin Panel.

 Hostname
 ldap.zoho.com
 Ports
 389 for LDAP port (StartTLS enabled)
 636 for LDAPS port (SSL/TLS enabled)
 Base DN
 Your domain in DN format (LDAP client base DN)
 dc=zohoone, dc=com for zohoone.com
 Username and password
 For LDAP clients that require a username and password, use the username and saved password from when you created a service account while adding the LDAP client to Zoho One.

Info
For encryption between the client and LDAP server, LDAPS is preferred. But, if you choose to use LDAP, it is necessary to enable StartTLS for security purposes.

LDAP-supported operations

Below are some of the supported operations to ensure smooth and safe access to directory information:

1. Request Rate Limit 
- Up to 4 Requests Per Second:
Each user or application can send a maximum of 4 LDAP requests every second. Avoid sending too many requests in a short time to prevent connection issues.

2. Connection Time Limit 
- Each Connection Can Stay Open for Up to 1 Minute:
Any LDAP connection you make to the service can last a maximum of one minute before it is closed automatically. This helps keep the system efficient and stable.

3. Concurrent Connection Limit 
- Maximum of 100 Connections at the Same Time:
The service supports up to 100 simultaneous connections from all users or apps combined.

4. Supported LDAP Operations 
bind:
Log in to the directory to prove your identity.
unbind: Log out to close your session cleanly.
search: Look up information stored in the directory (like users, groups, or devices).
extended operations: Includes:
  1. StartTLS: A way to encrypt the connection, keeping your data safe while it’s sent over the network.
  2. Who Am I?: Lets you check which user or application you’re currently authenticated as.
Below are the links to configuration instructions for a few LDAP clients. Otherwise, you can refer to the documentation of the relevant client.
Info
Certain LDAP clients, such as Atlassian Jira and SSSD, perform a user lookup to get more information about a user during user authentication. To make sure user authentication works correctly for such LDAP clients, you'll need to turn on Read user information for all organizational units where Verify user credentials is turned on.






Unified UI

Add LDAP clients

  1. Sign in to Zoho One, then click Directory in the left menu.
  2. Go to LDAP in the left panel, if not configured, click Configure LDAP. If already configured, click Add LDAP Client in the Clients tab.
  3. Under LDAP client name field, enter a name (for example, Printer).

  4. Under BindDN service account, if not added already, click Add service account. Enter a username for the service account, copy the generated password, and then click Save
    Notes
    You'll need the generated password when connecting your client to the Secure LDAP service, so make sure to save it. Otherwise, you will have to regenerate a new password.
  5. Now, select from the added accounts and click Save and Next.

Configure access permissions and attributes

The access permissions page will automatically be displayed once you have added an LDAP client. It determines how applications interact with your directory and what data can be accessed. It has two sections:

User Authentication - This setting allows the admins to restrict which users are allowed to authenticate via Cloud LDAP. In other words, only the users with LDAP permissions can authenticate successfully. This operation is read-only, so the application cannot modify the user credentials in Zoho One. 
Read User Information - This setting specifies which attributes of the user the LDAP client can access to retrieve user information. You can choose the attributes you want to expose via Attribute mapping in Zoho One.
  1. To include users that an LDAP client can access to verify the user credentials, tick the checkbox Verify user credentials.

  2. Tick the checkbox Read user information to select the attributes that the LDAP client can have access to.
  3. Select one from the available LDAP attributes and click Save and Next.
  4. To add a custom attribute, go to the Attributes tab, click Manage Attributes.
  5. Click Add Attribute. Enter an attribute name.
  6. For Field value, select from the profile fields or enter a hardcoded value. Then, click Add. You can select the custom-added attribute on the permissions page. 

Assign members

Once you've added LDAP client and configured permissions for it, you can now assign members to each client.
  1. In the Summary page, click Assign Members at the bottom page to assign users to the client or click on the required client, click Assign Members.

  2. Under Choose Users, click to either select users manually or attach file.
  3. After selecting users, click Assign.

Add a service account

  1. Under LDAP section, go to Service Accounts tab.
  2. Click Add Service Account.
  3. Enter a username for the service account, copy the generated password, and then click Save.
Notes
You'll need the generated password when connecting your client to the Secure LDAP service, so make sure to save it. Otherwise, you will have to regenerate a new password.

Delete a service account

  1. Under LDAP section, go to Service Accounts tab.
  2. Hover over the required service account, and click Delete.
Notes
If the service account is mapped to clients, you'll have to dissociate the clients from the service account to delete.

Edit access permissions

  1. Sign in to Zoho One, then click Admin Panel in the left menu.
  2. Go to LDAP, and click Clients tab.
  3. Click on the required client from the list, click Edit, and then click Save and Next.
  4. Tick or untick the access permissions checkbox based on your preference.

Edit LDAP client details

  1. Go to Clients tab, and hover over the required client name.
  2. Click , then click Edit.
  3. Edit the necessary details on the page and click Save and Next.

Deactivate/ Delete LDAP client

  1. Go to Clients tab, and hover over the required client name.
  2. Click  , then click Deactivate.
  3. To delete a client, click Delete. Once deleted, you can no longer retrieve the client's information. 

Connect LDAP clients to the Cloud LDAP service

Before connecting your LDAP client to the Cloud LDAP service, make sure you have added your client to Zoho One as a LDAP server, configured access permissions, and optionally generated access credentials.
Info
Depending on the type of client, there are different instructions for connecting them to the LDAP service.
To begin, open the LDAP client's authentication or directory settings and enter the necessary details listed below. Alternatively, you can find them in the Info tab > LDAP > Admin Panel.

 Hostname
 ldap.zoho.com
 Ports
 389 for LDAP port (StartTLS enabled)
 636 for LDAPS port (SSL/TLS enabled)
 Base DN
 Your domain in DN format (LDAP client base DN)
 dc=zohoone, dc=com for zohoone.com
 Username and password
 For LDAP clients that require a username and password, use the username and saved password from when you created a service account while adding the LDAP client to Zoho One.
Info
For encryption between the client and LDAP server, LDAPS is preferred. But, if you choose to use LDAP, it is necessary to enable StartTLS for security purposes.

LDAP-supported operations

Below are some of the supported operations to ensure smooth and safe access to directory information:

1. Request Rate Limit 
- Up to 4 Requests Per Second:
Each user or application can send a maximum of 4 LDAP requests every second. Avoid sending too many requests in a short time to prevent connection issues.

2. Connection Time Limit 
- Each Connection Can Stay Open for Up to 1 Minute:
Any LDAP connection you make to the service can last a maximum of one minute before it is closed automatically. This helps keep the system efficient and stable.

3. Concurrent Connection Limit 
- Maximum of 100 Connections at the Same Time:
The service supports up to 100 simultaneous connections from all users or apps combined.

4. Supported LDAP Operations 
bind:
Log in to the directory to prove your identity.
unbind: Log out to close your session cleanly.
search: Look up information stored in the directory (like users, groups, or devices).
extended operations: Includes:
  1. StartTLS: A way to encrypt the connection, keeping your data safe while it’s sent over the network.
  2. Who Am I?: Lets you check which user or application you’re currently authenticated as.
Below are the links to configuration instructions for a few LDAP clients. Otherwise, you can refer to the documentation of the relevant client.
Info
Certain LDAP clients, such as Atlassian Jira and SSSD, perform a user lookup to get more information about a user during user authentication. To make sure user authentication works correctly for such LDAP clients, you'll need to turn on Read user information for all organizational units where Verify user credentials is turned on.




 





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