Moodle
From Univention Wiki
This article introduces you to the usage of Moodle. It covers the installation on a dedicated school server, as well as the users authentification with the LDAP. If further integration packages are needed, like loading classes from the LDAP or using the Microsoft Windows authentification for already logged in users, feel free to contact Univention for assistance.
Contents |
Installation
This sectionn will cover the preparation and installation of Moodle on the system. Please make sure that every command is executed as root user.
Preparation
For the installation to succeed, some packages must be downloaded from the official Debian and Univention repositories. To activate the Univention unmaintained repository, execute the following command:
ucr set repository/online/unmaintained=yes
To add the Debian repository to the system, add the following line into the /etc/apt/sources.list file:
deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian lenny main
First, Moodle's dependencies must be installed:
univention-install php5-pgsql php5-curl php5-cli univention-postgresql php5-ldap
The PostgreSQL database modules must be included in PHP. Add the following two lines into the /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini file:
extension=pgsql.so extension=gd.so
To use Moodle effectively, it is recommended to raise the memory usage limit to 40 MB. Also, it is recommended to raise the maximum size for uploads, e. g. 20 MB, to provide small programs to students. The changes must be done in the /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini file:
memory_limit = 40M post_max_size = 20M upload_max_filesize = 20M
For the changes to take effect, the Apache webserver must be restarted:
/etc/init.d/apache2 restart
Building Moodle and its dependencies
It is recommended to create a new directory for the build process:
mkdir ~/moodle cd ~/moodle
First, some build option must be set:
export DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS='nocheck'
Next, the build dependencies of Moodle must be installed and source files must be downloaded:
apt-get build-dep moodle smarty wwwconfig-common yui apt-get source moodle smarty wwwconfig-common yui
Now Moodle can be build. After the build process is finished, regular .deb files are created, that can be installed on other UCS server systems as well:
cd smarty-<version> fakeroot dpkg-buildpackage cd .. dpkg -i smarty_<version>.deb cd wwwconfig-common-<version> fakeroot dpkg-buildpackage cd .. dpkg -i wwwconfig-common_<version>.deb cd yui-<version> fakeroot dpkg-buildpackage cd .. dpkg -i yui_<version>.deb cd moodle-<version> fakeroot dpkg-buildpackage cd .. dpkg -i moodle_<version>.deb
During the installation, some questions must be answered. By default, the pre-selected option is sufficient.
Configuration
This section handles the basic configuration and LDAP connection for moodle and how to delete users in Moodle that are not in the LDAP anymore.
Basic configuration
First, Moodle's entry restrictions must be changed. To do so, edit the file /etc/moodle/apache.conf and edit the following line to match your network settings:
allow from 127.0.0.0/255.0.0.0
Also check the settings in the /etc/moodle/config.php file and change the entry localhost to the server's hostname:
$CFG->wwwroot
For the changes to take effect, the Apache webserver must be restarted:
/etc/init.d/apache2 restart
Now the Moodle service can be reached and configured by opening the web page in a webbrowser:
http://<server>/moodle
LDAP authentification
After the basic configuration is done, https should be activated in Security -> HTTP security. Next, the option Email-based self-registration should be deactivated and LDAP server should be activated.
Now the LDAP connection can be configured under Settings. The table gives information which default settings must be changed:
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| LDAP server settings | |
| Host URL | <school server's FQDN> |
| Version | 3 |
| User lookup settings | |
| Contexts | cn=users,ou=<school>,dc=<domain> |
| Search subcontexts | Yes |
| User Attribute | uid |
| Course creator | |
| Creators | cn=lehrer,cn=users,ou=<school>,dc=<domain> |
| Cron synchronization script | |
| Removed ext user | Full delete internal |
| Data mapping | |
| Update local | On Every Login |
| Update external | Never |
| Lock value | Locked |
Hint: To obtain the LDAP basis, execute the following command on the school server:
ucs get ldap/base
Hint: To obtain the system's FQDN, execute the following command on the relevant system:
hostname -f
LDAP mapping
Furthermore, the following mapping applies for LDAP entries:
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| First name | gn |
| Surname | sn |
| Email address | |
| Phone 1 | telephoneNumber |
| Phone 2 | homePhone |
| City/town | l |
| Country | c |
Cronjob for deleting users
In order for Moodle to remove users from its databse that are deleted in the LDAP, a cronjob must be defined in the UDM.
| UCR name | Value |
|---|---|
| cron/moodle/time | */10 * * * * |
| cron/moodle/command | wget -q -O /dev/null http://localhost/admin/cron.php |
Restrictions
- OU: At this time it is not possible for Moodle to search for all users using the LDAP base DN.
- Class mapping: This article does not handle mappings between UCS@School classes and Moodle groups. If you need assistance to create the respective mapping or would like to have the setup packaged, feel free to contact Univention for an offer to create either.
