Log-In & Out
Digest
Logging in is mandatory for any user wishing to use Cascade Server. Once logged in, a user can access and edit assets inside the system. Upon logout, a user's session will be terminated. If a user wishes to view and/or edit assets inside the system, he or she will have to log in again using their login credentials (username/password).
Concept
If a user does not log out and the system remains idle, the CMS will automatically end the session after a specified time, determined by the Administrator.
Users can check the box 'Remember Me' at the login page in order to start a session that will last two weeks. During this period of time, users can access the system without having to log in upon every visit.
Log-In Authentication
Login Authentication is the process of checking usernames and passwords provided at a login form against authorized credentials. It is accomplished by CMS in one of three ways:
- Built-in authentication, which stores user information in the database used for other CMS data storage
- LDAP authentication, accomplished by querying your LDAP-enabled directory server (Active Directory, OpenLDAP, etc.) to retrieve user information.
- Custom login authentication. This authentication is determined by the administrator of the client network. Please consult your network or CMS administrator for more details.
Authentication Types Explained
With the built-in authentication, the administrator must create an account for each user from within the CMS before they can access the system. This is accomplished from the 'Users, Groups, and Roles' option in the 'Administration' area.
Using LDAP authentication, on the other hand, the CMS authenticates users against a directory on an LDAP-enabled server (usually separate from the server housing the CMS), which could be a pre-existing directory server. This allows you to maintain users for the CMS and other purposes centrally, without having to create multiple accounts for each user.
A custom authentication will vary depending on the particular circumstances. Typically, there is a single sign-on service, which will authenticate a user against a system separate from Cascade Server. This is usually the same process a user might go through to check organizational email or to use other distributed software.
Technical
Using Audit Trails to Manage Users & Log-Ins/Outs
The Audit Trail is accessible from the Administration area and gives a detailed account of all activity that has taken place within the system.
The Audit Trail can be accessed for an individual user, a group, or a role. Simply click on the user, group, or role name in the Users, Groups, Roles section, and select the Audit Trail tab.
The results of the audit trail offer the following values:
- User - Clicking on the user will show statistics for that user.
- Time - This shows the time that the action was completed.
- Action - Actions include: Login, Failed Login, Logout, Started Workflow, Advanced Workflow, Edit, Start Edit, Copy, Create, Reference, Delete, Delete and Unpublish, Check-in, Check-out, Version Activation, Publish, Unpublish.
- Information - This offers additional information including the Asset modified or the IP address of login. It will also provide an Asset Link which will take you to the view for the relevant asset.
Audit trail records can be selected by clicking the checkbox next to each record. Selected records can be deleted by selecting Delete from the Action dropdown.