ReportBuilder and Forms Authentication

We created a custom security extension for RS using Forms Authentication. The issue I am having is in ReportBuilder when the forms authentication ticket expires. Forms auth will attempt to redirect (send a HTTP 302) and the report builder will show the error message "Object moved to here" instead of prompt for credentials. I have been watching the IIS logs and I see the first time report builder start it attempt to connect using default windows credentials and after the FormsAuthenticationRequired exception it will prompt for credentials and invoke LogonUser method, but this only happens the first time or if change the server in the url. I was expecting ReportBuilder to consider the Forms Authentication expiration at any time.

Do you have any idea how to work around this?

Any help is really appreciated.

Thanks

Hope this helps. http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=278056

RS using FBA deletes a cookie that is used in authenticating user. The fix is available on request( not released officially)
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Thanks for your response. I saw this fix before writing in this forum. (I found it here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/939942/ ) What I am concerned is that it is touching only the sharepoint dll. I am not using sharepoint. I do not even have RS configured for sharepoint integration. I am using Forms Authentication in the ReportServer and ReportBuilder displays the "object moved" error when the authentication ticket expires and gets a HTTP redirect while requesting a method in the web service after ticket expired. I suspect this is a bug. To workaround this I had to increase the timeout of the forms authentication in the web.config for ReportServer to 48 hours.

However if a user keeps a report open in the ReportBuilder application for more than 48 hours the changes will be lost because he will get the error and will not be able to save the changes. I think this is a bug. Microsoft has been saying Reporting Service 2005 supports Forms Authentication thru a custom security extension but I am not sure they have tested properly.

I have been inspecting the code for ReportBuilder application using .net Reflector and I noticed it prompts for credentials only when the main form is loaded and the first attemp using default Network Credentials fails because Forms Authentication is required. Then the LogonUser is invoked and the authentication cookie is created. However if this cookie expires they never attempt to connect again unless the server path change. In my opinion this is wrong. They should be consistent with the forms authentication and prompt for credentials again.

Increase the timeout in my opinion is a workaround but not the solution. If I am wrong and someone knows the answer to this, please, I will really appreciate it. In the other hand, I will try to get this fix for sharepoint. Maybe it will consist in more than sharepoint dll and it will "automagically" fix the issue

Thanks for your reply.

Report Service error

Hi,
I installed the SQL Reporting services with MS SQL 2000 database server,
implemented the form authentication custom security extention, every thing
worked just perfect, because some other issues, I tried to modify the URL
Root in RSReportServer.config file, from http://<servername>/ReportServer to
a http://<external IP address>/ReportServer. then when I try to run the
report manager, I got "The report server installation is not initialized.
Check the documentation for more information. (rsReportServerNotActivated)
Get Online Help", then I tried everything this newgroup provided such as
rsactivate, rskeymgmt -d to delete the key then use rsconfig to regenerate
the new key, but no matter what I do, I keep getting this error message, when
I run rsactivate, I got error message said that the report service is
activated already.
because this is the production server, please Help!
Thanks at advance.
YanI guess you also need to modify the report service url from
http://<servername>/ReportService.asmx to http://<external IP
address>/ReportService.asmx somewhere in your implementation.
Don
"Yan" wrote:
> Hi,
> I installed the SQL Reporting services with MS SQL 2000 database server,
> implemented the form authentication custom security extention, every thing
> worked just perfect, because some other issues, I tried to modify the URL
> Root in RSReportServer.config file, from http://<servername>/ReportServer to
> a http://<external IP address>/ReportServer. then when I try to run the
> report manager, I got "The report server installation is not initialized.
> Check the documentation for more information. (rsReportServerNotActivated)
> Get Online Help", then I tried everything this newgroup provided such as
> rsactivate, rskeymgmt -d to delete the key then use rsconfig to regenerate
> the new key, but no matter what I do, I keep getting this error message, when
> I run rsactivate, I got error message said that the report service is
> activated already.
> because this is the production server, please Help!
>
> Thanks at advance.
>
> Yan

Report Server database advice

Hi,
is there likely to be any problem with us adding our own custom tables and
stored procedures to the report server database?
We will not be modifying any of the existing objects. Our objects are just
to add some of our own functionality.
thanks
MattI have tried it once.
Didnt have any problems with that!
>--Original Message--
>Hi,
>is there likely to be any problem with us adding our own
custom tables and
>stored procedures to the report server database?
>We will not be modifying any of the existing objects. Our
objects are just
>to add some of our own functionality.
>thanks
>Matt
>
>.
>|||There should be no problem with doing this. The only issue you could run
into is if an upgrade of RS uses a table or SP with the same name. If you
make your names unique enough, there should be no issues.
--
-Daniel
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Ravi" <ravikantkv@.rediffmail.com> wrote in message
news:7f8b01c495a1$5d4f7c20$a601280a@.phx.gbl...
> I have tried it once.
> Didnt have any problems with that!
> >--Original Message--
> >Hi,
> >
> >is there likely to be any problem with us adding our own
> custom tables and
> >stored procedures to the report server database?
> >
> >We will not be modifying any of the existing objects. Our
> objects are just
> >to add some of our own functionality.
> >
> >thanks
> >
> >Matt
> >
> >
> >.
> >

Report server asking for credentials again and again (3 times)

I am trying to access reports using custom web application. This application will run under user who have permission to view the reports. When multiple users are accessing reports, if we try to open any report from web application, after some time (around 7-8 mins.) report server is popping up credentials window and if we provide credentials, it is again giving credentials pop up after 5 mins. and after retrying 3 times like this, reports throws error saying 'You are not authorized to view page'. Is there any time out period specified for reports?

As per my investigation, report server default timeout is '30' minutes. I have not changed any values in Report server config files(rsreportserver.config). Nowhere I found that after 5 mins. the credentials pop up should opened?

Any help in this regard, greatly appreciated.

This doesn't sound like a timeout related issue but a security problem. The credentials window will pop up when the server tells the browser that it doesn't have authorization, and the browser gives you three changes to enter the proper credentials. I'm not sure why this would work when the application starts and then start failing after a period of time. If you go directly to the report on the reportserver, do you have the same problem?

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For queries which takes less time, reports are running fine. But for long running queries, after 5 mins. around, it is prompting for credentials. This prompting will continue for 2-3 times and atlast page throws message 'You are not authorized to view this page'.

I checked in IIS application pool properties, under which reporting services runs. I found 'TimeSetting Period' under Health tab as 5 mins. Is this the one caused to prompt for credentials for every 5 mins?

Configuration: Sql 2005 Reporting Services, IIS 6.0, Windows 2003

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We could able to find the reason why this is happening. We have 2 web servers for Reporting and these 2 boxes runs under Load balancer with BIG-IP. There is timeout value set at TCP Profiler in VIP. Now this has been changed and every thing is running fine.