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What is Totara Connect?

Totara Connect is a single sign-on and user identity solution for multiple Totara instances. Connected sites can share user accounts and logins, allowing all users or selected audiences to navigate between them seamlessly.

Totara Connect requires one Totara LMS site to act as the server. Once Totara Connect has been enabled and configured on the server, it is then possible to start connecting more Totara LMS or Totara Social sites as clients. Once connected information is then synchronised from the server to the client.

Totara Connect server

Totara Connect server is a plugin that facilitates the server side aspects of connecting sites effectively, allowing the site to act as a master to which client sites can connect and synchronise.

Once enabled a new administration section will become available at Site administration > Users > Accounts > Totara Connect server.

Even when enabled, by itself the server plugin is inactive. It is not until a second Totara LMS or Totara Social site is connected as a client that the Totara Connect server provides added functionality.
 

Totara Connect client

The Totara Connect client is an authentication plugin that facilitates a connection between the current site and one or more Totara LMS sites with an active Totara Connect server.

To be able to add a client to a Totara Connect sever, you first need to enable the Totara Connect client authentication plugin. Go to Site administration > Plugins > Authentication > Manage authentication and enable Totara Connect client by selecting the icon in the Enable column.

Set up a Totara Connect client for Totara LMS

Once you have enabled the Totara Connect server, you'll then need to configure the Totara Connect client. Make sure you have enabled the Totara connect client authentication plugin on the client site first.

Configure Totara Connect server settings

Go to Site administration > Users > Accounts > Totara Connect server > Settings.

Sync user passwords

If you want to send user password hashes from your server site to client sites, enable this option.

Configure Totara Connect client settings

Go to Site administration > Plugins > Authentication > Totara Connect client > Settings.

Automatic single sign-on via server

This setting allows you to automatically log on to a Totara Connect client site connected to a specific Totara Connect server. Choose a Totara Connect server to automatically sign-on from.  Note that you need to connect to a server first to select it from the list.
 

Migrate local accounts

When enabled, local accounts are migrated to Totara Connect accounts. Totara Connect accounts can log in only via single sign-on.

Account mapping

Choose the field you want to use to map user accounts by during migration. You should make sure this field is locked and cannot be modified by ordinary users or customised during user self registration, both on the server and clients.

User fields available are:

• Username
• Email address
• ID number
• Totara Connect unique ID
   

Action to take when a user is removed from the restricted audience

 If your Totara Connect users are restricted to an audience on the server, this setting determines what happens with local accounts when the user is removed from that audience on the server.

Options are:

• Keep internal user
• Suspend internal user
• Full delete internal user

Connect to a Totara Connect server

Go to Site administration > Plugins > Authentication > Manage authentication > Totara Connect client > Servers and select Connect to new server.

Add a Totara Connect client

Log in as a site administrator to the site which is acting as the Totara Connect server, go to Site administration > Users > Accounts > Totara Connect server > Client systems and select Add client.

Name

Enter a name for the client site.
 

Client URL

The URL of the client site. This should be the URL provided when connecting to a new server.
 

Client setup secret

The setup secret for the client site. This should be the client setup secret provided when connecting to a new server.
 

Restrict to audience

You can choose to only synchronise users from a specific audience from the Totara Connect server to the Totara Connect client site. The restriction is applied to all synchronised audiences and courses too i.e. only the audience restricted gets synchronised.

 Add new courses

 When enabled, all enrolled members of newly created courses are synchronised to the client site.

Add new audiences

When enabled, all enrolled members of newly created audiences are synchronised to the client site.
 

Synchronised audiences

Choose one or more audiences and synchronise members to the client site.
 

Synchronised courses

Choose one or more courses and synchronise all enrolled users to the client site.
 

Comment

Add any applicable comments related to the client site.

Once complete, select Add client. You'll now see that there is an active connection between the server and the client site and a new option will become available on the login page of the client site.

Set up Totara Connect client for Totara Social

To set up a Totara Connect client for Totara Social please see the Totara Social 2.0 documentation for further information.
 

Logging in a Totara Connect client site

1. Navigate to the client site in your browser.
2. Select Log in using your account on:[Server site name]. If you're not already logged into the Totara Connect server site, you'll be prompted to log in.
3. An account will be created on the server site if it doesn't exist and copy over all the user's profile fields with the exception of:
   
   
   • Interests
   • Hierarchy fields e.g. position, organisation, manager, etc.
   • Custom profile fields
   • Username (this is automatically generated by Totara Connect and starts with letters "tc").
   • ID number (used by HR Import).

Totara Connect scheduled tasks

General cleanup task

\auth_connect\task\cleanup_task

This task runs internal clean up tasks required by the Totara Connect client.

User collections sync task

\auth_connect\task\user_collection_task

This task checks the server for audience groups that are scheduled to be synced and recreates those audiences on the client.

Users sync task

\auth_connect\task\user_task

This task syncs all information related to the individual users. This includes profile field data but excludes user custom field data, profile images and position assignment data.