How to configure single sign-on for Dropbox

ADSelfService Plus supports Active Directory (AD)-based single sign-on (SSO) for Dropbox and any other SAML-enabled application. Upon enabling SSO for Dropbox in ADSelfService Plus, all users have to do is simply log in to their Windows machines using their AD domain credentials. Once logged in, users can securely access Dropbox in one click without having to enter their username and password again.

ADSelfService Plus supports both Identity Provider (IdP) and Service Provider (SP)-initiated SSO for Dropbox.

IdP-initiated SSO for Dropbox: Users need to log in to the ADSelfService Plus self-service portal first, and then click on the Dropbox icon on the Applications dashboard to access Dropbox.

SP-initiated SSO for Dropbox: Users can access their Dropbox domain via a URL or bookmark. They will automatically be redirected to the ADSelfService Plus portal for login. Once they've signed on, they'll be automatically redirected and logged into the Dropbox portal.

Follow the step-by-step guide given below for Dropbox SSO

Before you begin

Download and install ADSelfService Plus if you haven’t already.

Configuring your Active Directory domain in ADSelfService Plus

With ADSelfService Plus, you can use the existing AD domain credentials of users for authentication during SSO. So, first you need to configure an AD domain in ADSelfService Plus to enable SSO for Dropbox.

ADSelfService Plus will try to automatically add all the domains that it can discover in your network. If your domains are automatically added, skip to Step 9; otherwise, follow Steps 1-8 to add them manually.

1. Launch the ADSelfService Plus web console and log in using admin credentials.
2. Click the Domain Settings link available on the top-right corner of the application.
3. An Add Domain Details window will appear.
4. In the Domain Name field, enter the name of the domain you want to add.
5. In the Add Domain Controllers field, click Discover. ADSelfService Plus will try to automatically discover the domain controllers associated with the domain.
6. If the domains are not auto-discovered, then enter the domain controller name in the field provided, and click Add.
7. You can leave the authentication fields empty if you're not going to use the end user self-service features of ADSelfService Plus.
8. Back in the Add Domain Details window, click Add to complete adding the Active Directory domain in ADSelfService Plus.

Getting the SAML details from ADSelfService Plus

9. Navigate to Configuration → Self-service → Password Sync/Single Sign On.
10. Click Dropbox in the list of applications provided.
11. Click Download SSO Certificate in the top-right corner of the screen.
12. In the SSO/SAML Details pop-up screen that appears, copy the Login URL and download the SSO certificate by clicking on Download SSO Certificate.

Configuring SSO settings in Dropbox.

13. Log into Dropbox with administrator credentials.
14. Click on Admin Console in the left-pane.

    

15. In the tab that opens, click Settings in the left-pane and select Single sign-on.

    

    

16. Click the drop-down box and select either Optional/Required based on your need.
17. Selecting Optional will allow users to log on to Dropbox with single sign-on or their Dropbox password. Selecting Required will only allow users to login through single sign-on.
18. Edit Identity provider sign-in URL field and enter the Login URL value from Step 12.

    

19. Click the X.509 certificate field and upload the certificate file downloaded from Step 12.
20. Click Apply changes to confirm.
21. Copy the Sign-in URL as we will need it in a later step.

Adding your Dropbox domain in ADSelfService Plus and enabling SSO.

22. Now, switch to ADSelfService Plus’ Dropbox configuration page.
23. Choose Single sign-on under Modules.
24. In the SAML Redirect URL field, enter the Sign-in URL value from Step 21.
25. In the Domain Name field, enter the domain name for which you just enabled SSO.  For example, if you use johndoe@thinktodaytech.com to log in to Dropbox, then thinktodaytech.com is the domain name.
26. In the Display Name field, provide an appropriate display name.
27. In the Available Policies field, click the drop-down box and select the policies for which you wish to enable SSO. The policy you select will determine which users have the SSO feature enabled.

    Note: ADSelfService Plus allows you to create OU and group-based policies for your AD domains. To create a policy, go to Configuration → Self-Service → Policy Configuration → Add New Policy. Click Select OUs/Groups, and make the selection based on your requirements. You need to select at least one self-service feature. Finally, click Save Policy.

28. Click Save.

Your users can now log into their Dropbox accounts automatically using single sign-on.