Django RemoteUserBackend for REMOTE_USER authentication and LDAP authorisation

LDAPRemoteUserBackend.py

# LDAP Remote User Backend for Django 1.3
# Hugh Saunders - hugh@wherenow.org
# Written for the Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory - http://smtl.co.uk
# 2011

from django.contrib.auth.backends import RemoteUserBackend
import settings as s
import ldap

class LDAPRemoteUserBackend(RemoteUserBackend):
	""" RemoteUserBackend for checking user/pass against REMOTE_USER
	and putting users in groups based on LDAP

	The following settings are required in settings.py:
	LDAP_SERVER='ldap://ldap.example.com'
	LDAP_SEARCH_TREE='ou=groups,dc=example,dc=com'
	LDAP_FILTER='(cn=example-django-group)'
	LDAP_FIELD='memberUid'
	ALL_USERS_GROUP=1
	"""
	
	def clean_username(self,username):
		"""Map REMOTE_USER to a django user. 
		In this case, REMOTE_USER is set by apache after 
		authenticating a kerberos user. REMOTE_USER
		is supplied with the kerberos domain appended 'eg user@domain', 
		this method strips the '@domain' section."""
		clean_username=username.split('@')[0]
		return clean_username

	def configure_user(self,user):
		"""Set user groups and privs. 
		This method is called the first time a non-django user logs in.
		A user is created in the django database, this method
		adds the new user to the appropriate groups, and 
		sets privs. """

		#Add all remote users to a group
		user.groups.add(s.ALL_USERS_GROUP)

		#all remote users are staff - so they can access the admin interface
		user.is_staff=True

		#To determine if the user is to have further priviledges
		#we consult LDAP

		#connect to ldap server
		l = ldap.initialize(s.LDAP_SERVER)

		#get list of superusers
		superusers=l.search_s(s.LDAP_SEARCH_TREE,\
				ldap.SCOPE_SUBTREE,\
				s.LDAP_FILTER)\
				[0][1][s.LDAP_FIELD]

		#close LDAP Connection
		l.unbind()

		#Check if this user should be a superuser. 
		if user.username in superusers:
			user.is_superuser=True
		user.save()