By assigning an IP to a user we allow them to avoid the need to log in or identify themselves when accessing the shop. The most common cases are when access is sold to an institution so that all students can log in through the institution's network.
What is an IP address? An IP address is a number that identifies a device (computer, tablet, laptop, smartphone) or set of devices (computers in a university library).
What types of IP's can you assign to your users? Our system allows you to add the following IP formats to your users:
Single IP: For example 201.234.241.72
IP Range: For example from 201.234.241.72 to 201.234.241.79. These ranges can also be added as CIDR notation 201.234.241.72/29.
We recommend you to have a look at our technical documentation HERE.
CONFIGURATION:
📹 Here you will find the complete instructions.
Before we start with the configuration we must know which IP or IPs we are going to assign. Ask your client for the IP or IPs from which the users will access when they connect from a single physical space, for example: from the computers of a university.
1. Tell the university or your client the URL of the shop.
Your client will use it to redirect users from their site. This URL should be placed in the Button or Link where the user will click to access the shop.
For example: if the integration will be done with a university, the campus administrators should add a button or link such as "Access the virtual library of ..." and place the URL of the shop).
Automatic authentication
👉You must add the corresponding path to the shop URL as shown below:
ShopURL/library
E.g.: https://alephdigital.publica.la/library
Automatic authentication
We will continue to support this authentication in case you already had it set up, but we recommend that you make the switch to automatic authentication.
ShopURL/auth/ip
E.g.: https://alephdigital.publica.la/auth/ip
It is very important that the url you share with your customers is properly built to avoid errors in the integration.
In case you need the link to lead to specific publications, you should construct the URLs as follows:
URL of your shop: https://youshop.com/auth/ip
Parameter divider: ?intended_url=
Issue URL: https://yourshop.com/reader/organizational-behavior-1 (here is how you can get the specific url to the publication)
The final url would look like this:
2. You need to identify that customer with a user in the shop. To do this you must:
Create a user (in case you haven't created one yet) in the shop from Dashboard > Users > Create to which the specific plan for that customer will be assigned.
Click on the drop down button next to Edit V and select the option Assign IP range.
Only add the IP in the "from" field or add the IP range by placing "from" at the beginning of the range and "to" at the end of the range. This should be repeated for all different IPs or IP ranges.
📌For CIDR Notation only add the IP in the "from" field.
3. Ask your customer to test the integration to verify that it has been set up correctly.
In the event that at the time of validation it does not work correctly, we recommend following the steps below:
Confirm with your client that the IPs indicated match the last IP from which the users are being sent.
Check that your client has correctly inserted the URL to send the users to the shop. Remember that the URL must have the extension /auth/ip at the end.
👉For example: https://alephdigital.publica.la/auth/ip
Go to Control Panel > Users, find the user that has been assigned the IP, go to Edit and check that the number of simultaneous sessions (Sessions limit) for that user is high or as agreed with the institution.
In case this field does not have any value, then the default limit will be applied and students will have trouble accessing at the same time through this integration. It is recommended to set high values.
Do not use or test from a window in "incognito mode" or "private browsing" as this could interfere with the proper functioning of the tool.
In the event that these verifications fail to identify the fault, we invite you to take a look at the following article with an advanced validation in order to verify if the IP is being sent correctly.
Remember that you can limit the number of simultaneous sessions of your users to suit what you have agreed with the institution you are providing services to.
We hope this tutorial has been helpful and easy for you. Should you have further questions, please contact us at support@publica.la.