Sharepoint seeking authentication when opening Word / Excel files from website
The company I work for is using SharePoint as a CMS for it's public facing website. I recently enabled FBA (Forms Based Authentication) for the site in order to provide some user specific functionality, but this has caused a side effect with Word / Excel files when opened from the site using Office 2007 / 2010. Some users are challenged for authentication when opening a Word / Excel document from IE (but not when they're select "save file" instead of "open file"). A window pops up behind IE / Word / Excel (so you often don't realise it's there) showing the sites login page. If the window is dismissed then the document continues to open normally. It seems to be environmental. Most Office 2007 / 2010 users internally experience this and we've had one report externally of this happening. Anyone know how to prevent this behaviour? In case it's relevant: The company also has an internal SharePoint site using NTML authentication allowing internal users to edit the same content visible externally. I originally suspected the SharePoint header added to responses may be alerting Office to check for authentication to allow extended functionality, but I remove the response header in IIS and it didn't make any difference.www.gavinharriss.com
November 24th, 2010 3:44pm

I just want to make sure I understand. 1. You have an internal SharePoint 2007 / WSS setup using NTLM and AD Authentication for users. 2. You extended this NTLM web application to FBA users who are not on the AD. 3. Both NTLM and FBA users should be able to edit the same document in a library. 4. NTLM users are not asked to authenticate when opening and editing document 123.doc or 123.docx 5. FBA users are signed in via FBA, then they try to edit the same document they are asked to authenticate using NTLM information. Questions? 1. Is the FBA URL listed in the Extranet field in alternate access mapping within Central Admin? & is the primary URL listed in default for NTLM users? 2. Are you using the community fba kit from Codeplex.com?Kris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
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November 24th, 2010 4:31pm

Hi Kris, Not quite... there's 2 sharepoint sites being driven from the same content: http://internal.domain.com - Allows internal users to edit site content. Uses NTML and AD. No issues here. http://www.domain.com - Site visible to external users. Uses FBA to allow users access to a few special pages. Since FBA was introduced some users with Office 2007 / 2010 viewing the external site and trying to download Word / Excel files are challenged for authentication via a pop-up (often pop-behind) screen. This did not occur before FBA was introduced. Answers to questions: I'm not sure what you're asking here - I'll ask one of my colleagues who are a bit more Sharepoint savy shortly (all are in meetings at the moment). We're not using the community FBA kit. Cheers, Gavin www.gavinharriss.com
November 24th, 2010 5:15pm

Hi Kris, Not quite... there's 2 sharepoint sites being driven from the same content: http://internal.domain.com - Allows internal users to edit site content. Uses NTML and AD. No issues here. http://www.domain.com - Site visible to external users. Uses FBA to allow users access to a few special pages. Since FBA was introduced some users with Office 2007 / 2010 viewing the external site and trying to download Word / Excel files are challenged for authentication via a pop-up (often pop-behind) screen. This did not occur before FBA was introduced. Answers to questions: I'm not sure what you're asking here - I'll ask one of my colleagues who are a bit more Sharepoint savy shortly (all are in meetings at the moment). We're not using the community FBA kit. Cheers, Gavin www.gavinharriss.com
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November 24th, 2010 5:15pm

Gavin... Check out the following links and let me know if this helps you. http://blogs.msdn.com/solutions/archive/2007/08/27/forms-based-authentication-fba-in-wss-3-0-moss-2007.aspx http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2006/08/16/702010.aspxKris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
November 24th, 2010 6:13pm

Gavin... Check out the following links and let me know if this helps you. http://blogs.msdn.com/solutions/archive/2007/08/27/forms-based-authentication-fba-in-wss-3-0-moss-2007.aspx http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2006/08/16/702010.aspxKris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
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November 24th, 2010 6:13pm

Gavin... Check out the following links and let me know if this helps you. http://blogs.msdn.com/solutions/archive/2007/08/27/forms-based-authentication-fba-in-wss-3-0-moss-2007.aspx http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2006/08/16/702010.aspxKris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
November 24th, 2010 6:15pm

Hi Kris, I've been given permission to post a bit more detail about the setup - was being a bit cautious before... Alternative access maps: http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/9793/mossaltaccessmaps.png Authentication providers: http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/5159/mossauthprovs.png Example of problem page: Open (not save) any of the Word docs from http://ecan.govt.nz/services/resource-consents/pages/forms-booklets.aspx#application-forms (problem may / may not occur for you - happens quite a lot internally and one external user has reported the problem so far). One database is providing content for both the internal and external sites (applications), both sites have their own physical directory on web server with individual web.config etc. Sharepoint is sitting behind a firewall and ISA server. ISA directs www.ecan.govt.nz, etc. to relevant server. Hope this helps create a better picture? Cheers, Gavinwww.gavinharriss.com
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November 24th, 2010 6:20pm

Hi Kris, I've been given permission to post a bit more detail about the setup - was being a bit cautious before... Alternative access maps: http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/9793/mossaltaccessmaps.png Authentication providers: http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/5159/mossauthprovs.png Example of problem page: Open (not save) any of the Word docs from http://ecan.govt.nz/services/resource-consents/pages/forms-booklets.aspx#application-forms (problem may / may not occur for you - happens quite a lot internally and one external user has reported the problem so far). One database is providing content for both the internal and external sites (applications), both sites have their own physical directory on web server with individual web.config etc. Sharepoint is sitting behind a firewall and ISA server. ISA directs www.ecan.govt.nz, etc. to relevant server. Hope this helps create a better picture? Cheers, Gavinwww.gavinharriss.com
November 24th, 2010 6:20pm

I'm running out the door to meet some friends but I'll take a gander tomorrow, this helps a ton I just don't have more time... I'll reply tomorrow if someone else doesn't beat me to it.. Have a good night Gavin.Kris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
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November 24th, 2010 6:31pm

I'm running out the door to meet some friends but I'll take a gander tomorrow, this helps a ton I just don't have more time... I'll reply tomorrow if someone else doesn't beat me to it.. Have a good night Gavin.Kris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
November 24th, 2010 6:31pm

I'm running out the door to meet some friends but I'll take a gander tomorrow, this helps a ton I just don't have more time... I'll reply tomorrow if someone else doesn't beat me to it.. Have a good night Gavin.Kris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
November 24th, 2010 6:33pm

I just want to make sure I understand. 1. You have an internal SharePoint 2007 / WSS setup using NTLM and AD Authentication for users. 2. You extended this NTLM web application to FBA users who are not on the AD. 3. Both NTLM and FBA users should be able to edit the same document in a library. 4. NTLM users are not asked to authenticate when opening and editing document 123.doc or 123.docx 5. FBA users are signed in via FBA, then they try to edit the same document they are asked to authenticate using NTLM information. Questions? 1. Is the FBA URL listed in the Extranet field in alternate access mapping within Central Admin? & is the primary URL listed in default for NTLM users? 2. Are you using the community fba kit from Codeplex.com?Kris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
November 25th, 2010 12:27am

Hi Kris, thanks for your time so far - very much appreciated. Any ideas what might be happening?www.gavinharriss.com
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November 25th, 2010 7:37pm

can you contact me off line at kriswagner01 at gmail dot com Kris Wagner, MVP, MCITP, MCTS Twitter @sharepointkris Blog: http://www.sharepointkris.com/blog
November 25th, 2010 9:45pm

Hi Kris, sent you a quick email as requested. In case it didn't get through mine is gavin dot harriss at ecan dot govt dot nz Cheers, Gavinwww.gavinharriss.com
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December 1st, 2010 5:41pm

Anyone else out there have any ideas? Cheers, Gavinwww.gavinharriss.com
December 16th, 2010 8:18pm

Anyone else out there have any ideas? Cheers, Gavinwww.gavinharriss.com
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December 16th, 2010 8:18pm

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