SharePoint Online Connector
Installation and Configuration
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Mindbreeze GmbH, A-4020 Linz, 2019.
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For ease of readability, gender differentiation has been waived. Corresponding terms and definitions apply within the meaning and intent of the equal treatment principle for both sexes.
Installation
Before installing the SharePoint Online connector, make sure that the Mindbreeze server is installed and the SharePoint Online connector is included in the license. Use the Mindbreeze Management Center to install or update the connector.
Plugin installation via Mindbreeze Management Center
To install the plug-in, open the Mindbreeze Management Center. Select “Configuration” from the menu pane on the left-hand side. Then navigate to the “Plugins” tab. Under “Plugin Management,” select the appropriate zip file and upload it by clicking “Upload.” This automatically installs or updates the connector, as the case may be. In the process, the Mindbreeze services are restarted.
Configuring Mindbreeze
Select the “Advanced” installation method for configuration.
Configuring the index
To create a new index, navigate to the “Indices” tab and click the “Add new index” icon in the upper right corner.
Enter the path to the index and change the display name as necessary.
Configuring the data source
Add a new data source by clicking the “Add new custom source” icon at the top right. Select the category “Microsoft SharePoint Online” and configure the data source according to your needs.
In Sharepoint Online
In the "Sharepoint Online" area you can define your Microsoft SharePoint Online installation that is to be indexed. The following options are available:
"Server URL" | The URL of the Sharepoint Online instance, e.g.: https://mycompany.sharepoint.com |
"Site Relative URL. | The relative path to the site to be crawled, starting with a slash, e.g.: /sites/mysite. If this is left empty all detected sites are crawled. |
"Included Sites URL (regex)" | Regular expression that can be used to specify which subsites are to be crawled. If this option is left empty, all subsites will be crawled |
"Excluded Sites URL (regex)" | Regular expression that can be used to specify which subsites are to be excluded |
"Included Lists/Files/Folders URL (regex)" | Regular Expression, which can be used to specify which lists, files and folders should be included. The metadata "url" is compared. If this option is left empty, everything is included. Note: If you want to include/exclude complete subsites, please use the option "Included Sites URL (regex)" or "Excluded Sites URL (regex)" |
"Excluded Lists/Files/Folders URL (regex)" | Regular Expression, which can be used to specify which lists, files and folders should be excluded. The metadata "url" is compared. For example, if you find a document in the Mindbreeze search that you want to exclude, you can copy the URL from the "Open" action and use it in the "Excluded Lists/Files/Folders URL (regex)" option |
"Crawl hidden lists" | If set, lists that are defined as hidden are also indexed |
"Crawl lists with property 'NoCrawl'" | If this option is set, those lists are also indexed that have the "NoCrawl" property in Microsoft SharePoint Online |
"Max Content Length (MB)" | Limits the maximum document size. If a document is larger than this limit, the content of the document is not downloaded (the metadata is retained). The default value is 50 megabytes |
In Azure Endpoints
Only enter the URL for the Azure ACS endpoint in the “Azure ACS endpoint” field if your SharePoint environment is hosted in a special environment (such as Germany).
The following environments require special URLs:
Germany | |
China | |
US Government |
A complete list for Azure ACS endpoints can also be found at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/extending-sharepoint-online-for-germany-china-usgovernment-environments.
In App-Only Authentication
Configure the options as follows:
“Use App-Only authentication” | When this option is selected, app-only authentication is used instead of username and password authentication. If this option is selected, “Client ID” and “Client secret” also need to be configured. In addition, you need to perform all the “App Registration in Sharepoint” steps below. |
“Client ID" | The client ID that is generated as described below. |
“Client secret“ | The client secret that is generated as described below. |
App Registration in Sharepoint: Step 1
To generate a client ID and a client secret, enter the following URL in the browser:
<Server URL>/_layouts/15/appregnew.aspx
(e.g. https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/appregnew.aspx)
Click the two buttons "Generate" (for "client Id" and for "client secret") and enter the other information as follows:
- "Title": user-definable
- "App Domain": "localhost"
- “Redirect URI”: https://localhost/
Then click “Create."
Then enter the client id and the client secret into the Mindbreeze InSpire configuration. Otherwise you will not be able to access the client secret later.
App Registration in Sharepoint: Step 2
Now enter the following URL in the browser:
<Server URL>/_layouts/15/appinv.aspx
(e.g. https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/appinv.aspx)
Enter the client id in the “App Id” field and click “Lookup.” “Title,” “App Domain,” and “Redirect URL” will be filled in automatically. Then enter the following in the “Permission Request XML” field:
<AppPermissionRequests AllowAppOnlyPolicy="true">
<AppPermissionRequest
Scope="http://sharepoint/content/sitecollection/web"
Right="FullControl"
/>
</AppPermissionRequests>
Note: "FullControl" is required so that Mindbreeze InSpire has access to the access rights of the SharePoint documents to be indexed in order to map the authorizations in Mindbreeze InSpire.
Then click “Create."
App Registration in Sharepoint: Step 3
Additional rights are required so that the ACL information on the users and groups required by the Principal Resolution Service can also be downloaded from SharePoint Online.
Now enter the following URL in the browser:
<Admin Site URL>/_layouts/15/appinv.aspx
(z.B. https://mycompany-admin.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/appinv.aspx)
ATTENTION: Make sure that you are on the admin page. For example, if the URL is https://mycompany.sharepoint.com, then the admin page is usually https://mycompany-admin.sharepoint.com.
Enter the Client Id in the "App Id" field and activate the "Lookup" button. "Title", "App Domain" and "Redirect URL" will be filled in automatically. Then enter the following in the "Permission Request XML" field:
<AppPermissionRequests AllowAppOnlyPolicy="true">
<AppPermissionRequest
Scope="http://sharepoint/content/tenant"
Right="FullControl" />
</AppPermissionRequests>
Then activate the "Create" button.
Configuring the principal resolution service
Select “Advanced Settings” to configure the following settings.
Enable the option “Enforce ACL Evaluation.”
Add a new service under “Services” by clicking on “Add new service.” Select “SharepointOnlinePrincipalCache” and assign a display name.
In Sharepoint Online
Enter the information about your Microsoft SharePoint Online installation under “Sharepoint Settings.” “Server URL” and “Site Relative URL” must match the settings in the “Data Source” area. “Included URL (regex)” and “Excluded Sites URL (regex)” are not yet taken into account here. Under “Regex for your organization” you can enter a regular expression that defines whether or not a user belongs to your organization. The regular expression can refer to the e-mail address, the ObjectSID, or the ObjectGUID from LDAP.
In App-Only Authentication
This is only necessary if you have also configured app-only authentication for the data source.
In Graph API
If you have not configured “AD Connect” in the Azure Active Directory, select “AD Connect is NOT configured” and fill in the fields “Tenant Context ID,” “Application ID,” “Generated Key,” and “Protected Resource Hostname.” You can find the corresponding values in the Azure Portal.
If AD Connect is set up in your Azure Active Directory, do not enable the “AD Connect is NOT configured” option.
The following table lists the protected resource hostnames for different cloud environments:
Global Service | graph.microsoft.com |
Germany | graph.microsoft.de |
China | microsoftgraph.chinacloudapi.cn |
US Government | graph.microsoft.com |
A complete list of protected resource hostnames can also be found at https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/docs/concepts/deployments
In LDAP Settings
An LDAP cache is required to remove users from the active directory. The following link describes how to set up a caching principal resolution service: https://help.mindbreeze.com/de/index.php?topic=doc/Installation--Konfiguration---Caching-Principal-Resolution-Service/index.htm
The following values should be entered in the LDAP cache under “User Alias Name LDAP Attributes” or “User Alias Name LDAP Attributes”:
cn
objectGUID
objectSID
Enter the information about the LDAP cache under “LDAP Settings.” Enable the option “Use LDAP Principal Cache Service” and enter the corresponding port of your LDAP principal cache.
Under “Cache Settings,” configure where you want the database for the cache to be located and set the desired interval for the updates.
Under “Service Settings,” enter a free port to be used for the principal cache and enable the “Lowercase Principals” option so that the SharePoint groups can be resolved correctly.
In Azure Endpoints
Only enter the URLs for Azure AD Endpoint and Azure ACS Endpoint in the “Azure AD Endpoint” and “Azure ACS endpoint” fields if your SharePoint environment is hosted in a special environment (such as Germany).
The following environments require special URLs for Azure AD Endpoint:
Germany | |
China | |
US Government |
The following environments require special URLs for Azure ACS Endpoint:
Germany | |
China | |
US Government |
A complete list for Azure ACS endpoints can also be found at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/extending-sharepoint-online-for-germany-china-usgovernment-environments.
REST API for testing
- To test the caching principal resolution service, you can use the Principal Resolution Service REST API.
Configuring credentials and endpoints
If you are using app-only authentication, this section is NOT applicable to you. Otherwise, proceed as follows:
Navigate to the “Network” tab and add a new credential for Microsoft SharePoint Online under “Credentials” by clicking “Add Credential.”
Enter the credentials for the user you want to use for indexing and assign a name for the credential. Select a user with adequate permissions to read all relevant pages and authorizations.
Then add a new endpoint for the credential you just created by clicking on “Add Endpoint” under “Endpoints.” Enter the server URL of your Microsoft SharePoint Online installation as the location and select the credential you just created.
