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      Configure Autoform DM to Use LDAP
      • 16 Dec 2025
      • 6 Minutes to read
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      Contents

      Configure Autoform DM to Use LDAP

      • Updated on 16 Dec 2025
      • 6 Minutes to read
      • Contributors
      • Print
      • PDF
      Article summary

      Autoform DM can be configured to use the Windows Active Directory to obtain user login credentials and allocate group access. After LDAP is set up correctly, all user management can be done externally to Autoform DM. As a result, if users are in the relevant Active Directory groups, they can enter their Windows login credentials to access Autoform DM.

      Some options may appear differently depending on your Autoform DM version. Most settings will be managed by the Windows Active Directory administrator.

      Note

      In some scenarios, you might need to disable LDAP. For more information, and for steps, see Disable LDAP.

      Enable LDAP

      To configure Autoform DM to use LDAP, follow the process described below.

      1. Navigate to the LDAP Settings Configuration Page

      Click Administration in the Autoform DM menu, then click LDAP settings configuration.

      Enable%20LDAP%201

      2. Set LDAP Server Settings

      In the Server Details area of the page, supply information about the Active Directory.

      Enable%20LDAP%202

      Setting

      Description

      LDAP Server Address

      The name or IP address of the Active Directory server.

      Note

      We recommend defining the domain instead of a specific domain controller (DC) if there are multiple DCs controlling the same domain. So if one DC goes down, the other DC takes the role and Autoform DM remains connected.

      LDAP Server Port

      The port of the Active Directory Server.

      LDAP Binding Username

      The binding of the client (Autoform DM) to the LDAP server (Active Directory) requires authentication. This connection is made under the identity of a user in Active Directory who has authenticate, read, and search permissions, and full access to the LDAP tree being searched.

      In the LDAP Binding Username box, enter the username of an appropriate user in Active Directory.  

      Change LDAP Binding Password

      Select to change the password used for the binding user.

      If you select this checkbox, enter the correct password in the New LDAP Binding Password and New LDAP Binding Password Confirm boxes.

      Follow LDAP Referrals

      Determines whether Active Directory referrals are followed.

      LDAP SSL Enabled

      Secure LDAP communication with SSL. See LDAPS.

      LDAP Server Domain

      Default login domain. If a user logs in without specifying a domain, this domain is appended to form a UPN (user@domain).

      Designated LDAP admin account

      Account to bypass license limitations. Used for emergency access.

      3. Set LDAP User Settings

      In the Users area of the page, provide the Active Directory settings for users.

      Enable%20LDAP%203

      Setting

      Description

      Create users automatically

      Automatically create Autoform DM users when users successfully log in to Autoform DM via LDAP.

      LDAP User Search Base

      Specifies the tree location of the usernames in Active Directory. For example: CN=Users,DC=mydomain,DC=local

      LDAP User Search Scope

      Specifies which levels to search for users beyond the LDAP User Search Base.

      LDAP Username Attribute

      The field within Active Directory that holds the login name (UID attribute) for a user. In Autoform DM 6.919 and later, only UPN can be used (SamAccountName can't be used anymore).

      LDAP User Object Class

      The Active Directory class name for user objects. For example, person.

      LDAP Mail Attribute

      The field within Active Directory that contains the email address of a user.

      LDAP Full Name Attribute

      The field within Active Directory that contains the full name of a user.

      4. Set LDAP Group Settings

      In the Groups area, provide the Active Directory settings for groups.

      Enable%20LDAP%204

      Setting

      Description

      LDAP Group Search Base

      Specifies the tree location of the group names in Active Directory. For example: CN=Groups,DC=mydomain,DC=local

      LDAP Group Search Scope

      Specifies which levels to search for groups beyond the LDAP Group Search Base.

      LDAP Group Name Attribute

      The field within Active Directory that holds the group name.

      LDAP Group Membership Attribute

      The field within Active Directory that holds the member list of a group.

      LDAP Group Object Class

      The Active Directory class name for group objects.

      LDAP Group Membership Attribute Search Scope

      Specifies which levels to search for group members beyond the base.

      5. Specify Group Mappings

      In the Group Mappings area, map Autoform DM groups to Active Directory groups.

      Enable%20LDAP%205

      Setting

      Description

      Normal user group

      The name of the Active Directory user group that contains Autoform DM users.

      Admin user group

      The name of the Active Directory user group that contains Autoform DM administrators.

      LDAP groups area

      This area lists the groups that currently exist in Autoform DM. You can map these groups to Active Directory user groups.

      Is LDAP Authoritative

      Specifies whether Autoform DM relies completely on Active Directory data to set Autoform DM security group and application group membership or whether role and application access for users can be set manually within Autoform DM when necessary.

      Note

      Group mappings are synced per user at login. As a result, if group membership is updated in Active Directory, a user’s access to Autoform DM applications or administrative functions will not change until they log out and then log in again.

      5. Test the LDAP Connection Settings and Enable LDAP

      Before you enable LDAP, Autoform DM must pass an LDAP connection test:

      1. Find the Test LDAP Connection Settings area on the page.

      2. In the LDAP Test Username box, enter the username of a user that exists in Active Directory.

        Enable%20LDAP%206

      3. Click Test. Autoform DM will display the result of the test. If successful, the page will display the groups that the user belongs to.

      4. To enable LDAP, select LDAP integration enabled (in the LDAP test area), then click Confirm. Autoform DM displays this option only after a successful LDAP connection test.

      Implement LDAPS

      Autoform DM supports LDAPS. To implement LDAPS, follow these steps:

      1. Configure LDAP as described above.

      2. Import a root certificate from the LDAP Server Certificate Store into the JDK Certificate Store:

        1. Export the LDAP server certificate to a file (X.509) and copy it to a local folder on the Autoform DM server.

        2. On the Autoform DM server, open a command prompt as an administrator.

        3. Navigate to the bin folder of the JDK in the Autoform DM installation folder: C:\Program Files\Formpipe Software\Autoform DM\Server_<Autoform DM version number> - <node name>\jdk-<JDK version number>\bin. Appropriately substitute <Autoform DM version number>, <node name> and <JDK version number> .

        4. Run the following command.

          • Substitute <path to certificate> for the path to the LDAP server certificate that you copied to the Autoform DM server.

          • Substitute <domain name> for the domain name. This part of the command provides the alias to apply to the new key in the keystore. In this procedure, the domain name is used as the alias by convention.

          keytool.exe -importcert -file <path to certificate> -alias <domain name> -keystore ..\lib\security\cacerts

        5. When you run this command, you will be prompted for the Java cacerts password. Enter the password; the default password is changeit.

      3. Restart Autoform DM.

      4. After Autoform DM starts, log in and then navigate to the LDAP configuration screen.

      5. Disable LDAP (to reveal the LDAP configuration).

      6. Change LDAP Server Port to 636 and select the LDAP SSL Enabled checkbox.

        Enable%20LDAP%207

      7. To enable LDAPS, follow the Test the LDAP Connection Settings and Enable LDAP instructions.

      Disable LDAP

      In some scenarios, you might need to log in to Autoform DM as a local user. For example:

      • Scenario 1: You need to disable LDAP to update the LDAP settings.

      • Scenario 2: Your LDAP server is down or unreachable, and you need to disable LDAP without logging into Autoform DM.

      Scenario 1: LDAP is Currently Running But You Need to Disable It

      To turn off LDAP, follow these steps:

      1. Click Administration in the Autoform DM menu, then click LDAP settings configuration.

        Disable%20LDAP%201

      2. Clear the LDAP integration enabled checkbox.

        Warning

        Ensure the next step is performed out of hours, or that all users are aware that they will be logged out automatically.

      3. Click Yes to proceed.

        Disable%20LDAP%202

      Scenario 2: Your LDAP Server Is Down or Unreachable

      It is possible to disable LDAP authentication by editing a setting in the Autoform DM database. This method is necessary if the LDAP server is down or unreachable and you need to disable LDAP without logging into Autoform DM.

      In this scenario, contact Formpipe Support.

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