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Google Directory Advanced Settings

Google uses the OAuth authentication standard. You can authorize the provider to access Google APIs as an individual user or using a Google Apps Domain service account.

Using OAuth Authentication

Use the OAuth authentication standard to connect to Google Directory. You can authenticate with a user account or a service account. The provider facilitates this as described below.

Using a User Account to Authenticate to Google Directory

 The user account flow requires the authenticating user to interact with Google Directory via the browser.

Embedded Credentials

Desktop Applications

See Embedded Credentials to connect with the provider's embedded credentials and skip creating a custom OAuth app.
 
Headless Machines
See Headless Machines to skip creating a custom OAuth app and authenticate an application running on a headless server or another machine where the provider is not authorized to open a browser.
 

Custom Credentials

 Instead of connecting with the provider's embedded credentials, you can register an app to obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret.

When to Create a Custom OAuth App

 Web Applications

You need to create a custom OAuth app in the web flow.

Desktop Applications

Creating a custom OAuth app is optional as the provider is already registered with Google Directory and you can connect with its embedded credentials. You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into the Google Directory OAuth endpoint to grant permissions to the provider.

Headless Machines

Creating a custom OAuth app is optional to authenticate a headless machine; the provider is already registered with Google Directory and you can connect with its embedded credentials. In the headless OAuth flow, users need to authenticate via a browser on another machine. You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into the Google Directory OAuth endpoint to grant permissions to the provider.

Using a Service Account to Connect to Google Directory

 Service accounts have silent authentication, without user authentication in the browser. You can also use a service account to delegate enterprise-wide access scopes to the provider.

You need to create an OAuth application in this flow. You can then connect to Google Directory data that the service account has permission to access. See Custom Credentials for an authentication guide.

Creating a Custom OAuth App

 See Creating a Custom OAuth App for a procedure.

Embedded Credentials 

Authenticate using the Embedded OAuth Credentials

Desktop Authentication with the Embedded OAuth App

 You can connect without setting any connection properties for your user credentials. After setting the following, you are ready to connect: InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken. When you connect the provider opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The provider then completes the OAuth process.

  1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
  2. Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
  3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

Custom Credentials 

Authenticate with a User Account

Desktop Authentication with a Custom OAuth App

Follow the steps below to authenticate with the credentials for a custom OAuth app. See Creating a Custom OAuth App.

 Get and Refresh the OAuth Access Token

After setting the following, you are ready to connect:

  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your app.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your app.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
When you connect the provider opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The provider then completes the OAuth process:
  1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
  2. Refreshes the access token when it expires.
  3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

Web Authentication with a Custom OAuth App

When connecting via a Web application, you need to register a custom OAuth app with Google Directory. You can then use the provider to get and manage the OAuth token values.

Get an OAuth Access Token

Set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuthAccessToken:

  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.

 You can then call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

  1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB and set the CallbackURL input to the Redirect URI you specified in your app settings. The stored procedure returns the URL to the OAuth endpoint.
  2. Log in and authorize the application. You are redirected back to the callback URL.
  3. Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB. Set the Verifier input to the "code" parameter in the query string of the callback URL.

 Refresh the OAuth Access Token

 You can set InitiateOAuth to REFRESH to automatically refresh the OAuth access token when it expires, or you can call the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure to refresh the token manually.

Automatic Refresh

To refresh the token with InitiateOAuth, set the following on the first data connection:

  • OAuthAccessToken: Set this to the access token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the path where the provider will save the OAuth values, to be persisted across connections.
  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.
  • OAuthRefreshToken: Set this to the refresh token returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.

 On subsequent data connections, set the following:

  • InitiateOAuth
  • OAuthSettingsLocation

 Manual Refresh

You can use the RefreshOAuthAccessToken stored procedure to manually refresh the OAuthAccessToken. Call the stored procedure after the ExpiresIn parameter value returned by GetOAuthAccessToken has elapsed. You need the following connection properties to be set:

  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.

 You can then call RefreshOAuthAccessToken with the following parameter set:

  • OAuthRefreshToken: Set this to the OAuthRefreshToken returned by GetOAuthAccessToken.

 Authenticate with a Service Account

 Service accounts have silent authentication, without user authentication in the browser. You can also use a service account to delegate enterprise-wide access scopes to the provider.

You need to create an OAuth application in this flow. See Creating a Custom OAuth App to create and authorize an app. You can then connect to Google Directory data that the service account has permission to access.

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to "PEMKEY_FILE".
  • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the path to the .pem file you generated.
  • OAuthJWTCertPassword: Set this to the password of the .pem file.
  • OAuthJWTCertSubject: Set this to "*" to pick the first certificate in the certificate store.
  • OAuthJWTSubject: Set this to the email address of the user for whom the application is requesting delegate access. Note that delegate access must be granted by an administrator.
When you connect the provider completes the OAuth flow for a service account.
  1. Creates and signs the JWT with the claim set required by the provider.
  2. Exchanges the JWT for the access token.
  3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.
  4. Submits the JWT for a new access token when the token expires.

Headless Machines 

Using OAuth on a Headless Machine

The following sections show how to authenticate a headless server or another machine on which the provider cannot open a browser. You can authenticate with a user account or with a service account.
 
Authenticate with a User Account
 
To authenticate with a user account, you need to authenticate from another machine. Authentication is a two-step process.
  1. Instead of installing the provider on another machine, you can follow the steps below to obtain the OAuthVerifier value. Or, you can install the provider on another machine and transfer the OAuth authentication values, after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow.
  2. You can then configure the provider to automatically refresh the access token from the headless machine.
You can follow the headless OAuth authentication flow using the provider's embedded OAuth credentials or using the OAuth credentials for your custom OAuth app.

 

Using the Embedded OAuth Credentials

 Obtain a Verifier Code

Follow the steps below to authenticate from another machine and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property: 

  1. Click the following link to open the Google Directory OAuth endpoint in your browser.
  2. Log in and grant permissions to the provider. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
  3. Save the value of the verifier code. You will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.

 On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values.

  • OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified file.

 After the OAuth settings file is generated, set the following properties to connect to data:

  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the file containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this file gives read and write permissions to the provider to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.

 Transfer OAuth Settings

Follow the steps below to install the provider on another machine, authenticate, and then transfer the resulting OAuth values.

On a second machine, install the provider and connect with the following properties set:

  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to a writable text file.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
Test the connection to authenticate in the browser. The resulting authentication values are written, encrypted, to the path specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. Once you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

 On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the path to your OAuth settings file. Make sure this file gives read and write permissions to the provider to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Using the Credentials for a Custom OAuth App

 Create a Custom OAuth App

Creating a custom OAuth app is optional in the headless OAuth flow; you can skip creating an app by connecting with the provider's embedded OAuth credentials. You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into Google Directory to grant permissions to the provider.

See Creating a Custom OAuth App for a procedure. You can then follow the procedures below to authenticate and connect to data.

Obtain a Verifier Code

Set the following properties on the headless machine:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to OFF.
  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.

 You can then follow the steps below to authenticate from another machine and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the CallbackURL input parameter set to the exact Redirect URI you specified in your app settings.
  2. Open the returned URL in a browser. Log in and grant permissions to the provider. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
  3. Save the value of the verifier code. You will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.

 On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values:

  • OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified file.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.

 After the OAuth settings file is generated, set the following properties to connect to data:

  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the file containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this file gives read and write permissions to the provider to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.

 Transfer OAuth Settings

Follow the steps below to install the provider on another machine, authenticate, and then transfer the resulting OAuth values.

On a second machine, install the provider and connect with the following properties set:

  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to a writable text file.
  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your app.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your app.

 Test the connection to authenticate. The resulting authentication values are written, encrypted, to the path specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. Once you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine. On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the path to your OAuth settings file. Make sure this file gives read and write permissions to the provider to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

 Authenticate with a Service Account

 Service accounts have silent authentication, without user authentication in the browser. You can also use a service account to delegate enterprise-wide access scopes to the provider.

You need to create an OAuth application in this flow. See Creating a Custom OAuth App to create and authorize an app. You can then connect to Google Directory data that the service account has permission to access.

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your app settings.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to "PEMKEY_FILE".
  • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the path to the .pem file you generated.
  • OAuthJWTCertPassword: Set this to the password of the .pem file.
  • OAuthJWTCertSubject: Set this to "*" to pick the first certificate in the certificate store.
  • OAuthJWTIssuer: In the service accounts section, click Manage Service Accounts and set this field to the email address displayed in the service account Id field.
  • OAuthJWTSubject: Set this to your enterprise Id if your subject type is set to "enterprise" or your app user Id if your subject type is set to "user".
When you connect the provider completes the OAuth flow for a service account.
  1. Creates and signs the JWT with the claim set required by the provider.
  2. Exchanges the JWT for the access token.
  3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.
  4. Submits the JWT for a new access token when the token expires.

Creating a Custom OAuth App

The provider facilitates the following OAuth authentication flows.

Using a User Account to Connect to Google Directory

 This OAuth flow requires the authenticating user to interact with Google using the browser. The provider facilitates this in various ways as described below.

Authenticate to Google Directory from a Desktop Application

 Set InitiateOAuth GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken connection property. When you connect the provider opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The provider then completes the OAuth process:

  1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
  2. Refreshes the access token when it expires.
  3. Saves OAuth values to be persisted across connections. Configure the location with OAuthSettingsLocation.

Authenticate from a Web Application

 To obtain an OAuthAccessToken, you need to register an app and set the following connection properties.

  • OAuthClientId: Set this to the client Id in your app settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret in your app settings.
When connecting via a Web application or if the provider is not authorized to open a browser window, you exchange a verifier code for the access token:
  1. Call GetOAuthAuthorizationURL. The stored procedure returns the URL of the OAuth endpoint.

  2. Log in at the OAuth endpoint and authorize the application. You are redirected back via the callback URL.

    The verifier code is appended to the callback URL in a query string parameter named "code". Extract the verifier code.

  3. Call GetOAuthAccessToken.
To connect to data, set OAuthAccessToken. When the access token expires, call RefreshOAuthAccessToken.
 

Using a Service Account to Connect to Domain-Wide Data

You can use a service account in this OAuth flow to access Google APIs on behalf of users in a domain. A domain administrator can delegate domain-wide access to the service account.

To complete the service account flow, generate a private key in the Google APIs Console. In the service account flow, the provider exchanges a JSON Web token (JWT) for the OAuthAccessToken. The private key is required to sign the JWT. The OAuthAccessToken authenticates that the provider has the same permissions granted to the service account.

Generate a Private Key

Follow the steps below to obtain the credentials for your application:

  1. Log into the Google API Console.
  2. Click Create Project or select an existing project.
  3. In the API Manager, click Credentials -> Create Credentials -> Service Account Key. In the Service Account menu, select New Service Account or select an existing service account. In the Key Type section, select the P12 key type.
  4. Click Create to download the key pair. The private key's password is displayed: Set this in OAuthJWTCertPassword.
  5. In the Service Account Keys section on the Credentials page, click Manage Service Accounts and set OAuthJWTIssuer to the email address displayed in the Service Account Id field.
  6. Click Library -> Admin SDK -> Enable API.

Authenticate with a Service Account

 After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken connection property.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to "PFXFILE".
  • OAuthJWTCertPassword: Set this to the password of the .p12 file.
  • OAuthJWTCertSubject: Set this to "*" to pick the first certificate in the certificate store.
  • OAuthJWTIssuer: Set this to the email address of the service account.
  • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the path to the .p12 file.
  • OAuthJWTSubject: Set this to the email address of the user for whom the application is requesting delegate access.
When you connect the provider completes the OAuth flow for a service account:
  1. Creates and signs the JWT with the claim set required by the provider.
  2. Exchanges the JWT for the access token.
  3. Submits the JWT for a new access token when the token expires.

Customizing the SSL Configuration

By default, the provider attempts to negotiate SSL/TLS by checking the server's certificate against the system's trusted certificate store. To specify another certificate, see the SSLServerCert property for the available formats to do so.

Connecting Through a Firewall or Proxy

HTTP Proxies

 To connect through the Windows system proxy, you do not need to set any additional connection properties. To connect to other proxies, set ProxyAutoDetect to false.

In addition, to authenticate to an HTTP proxy, set ProxyAuthScheme, ProxyUser, and ProxyPassword, in addition to ProxyServer and ProxyPort.

Other Proxies

 Set the following properties:

  • To use a proxy-based firewall, set FirewallType, FirewallServer, and FirewallPort.
  • To tunnel the connection, set FirewallType to TUNNEL.
  • To authenticate, specify FirewallUser and FirewallPassword.
  • To authenticate to a SOCKS proxy, additionally set FirewallType to SOCKS5.

Troubleshooting the Connection

To show provider activity from query execution to network traffic, use Logfile and Verbosity. The examples of common connection errors below show how to use these properties to get more context. Contact the support team for help tracing the source of an error or circumventing a performance issue.

  • Authentication errors: Typically, recording a Logfile at Verbosity 4 is necessary to get full details on an authentication error.
  • Queries time out: A server that takes too long to respond will exceed the provider's client-side timeout. Often, setting the Timeout property to a higher value will avoid a connection error. Another option is to disable the timeout by setting the property to 0. Setting Verbosity to 2 will show where the time is being spent.
  • The certificate presented by the server cannot be validated: This error indicates that the provider cannot validate the server's certificate through the chain of trust. If you are using a self-signed certificate, there is only one certificate in the chain.

    To resolve this error, you must verify yourself that the certificate can be trusted and specify to the provider that you trust the certificate. One way you can specify that you trust a certificate is to add the certificate to the trusted system store; another is to set SSLServerCert.