How to configure Integrated Windows Authentication in VisualSVN Server

VisualSVN Server supports Integrated Windows Authentication. With this feature clients are able to authenticate to the server with their current Windows credentials. In other words, a domain user gains access to the server without being prompted to provide his username and password. Comparison of authentication methods available in VisualSVN Server is given in the KB39 article.

In order to enable Integrated Windows Authentication in VisualSVN Server, perform the following steps:

  1. Start the VisualSVN Server Manager console.
  2. Click Action | Properties.
  3. Click the Authentication tab.
  4. Click the Use Windows authentication option and select the Integrated Windows Authentication check box.
  5. Click the OK button.

VisualSVN HTTP Service will restart, and the domain users will automatically authenticate with their current Windows credentials.

The main recommendations are as follows:

  • It is recommended to upgrade your Subversion clients to the latest stable release.
  • To prevent passwords from being cached on disk it is recommended to disable Basic authentication.

Integrated Windows Authentication in VisualSVN Server is designed to work out-of-the-box. But nevertheless, under some circumstances Single Sign-On may not work. Here is the list of the most frequent cases:

  • Internet Explorer allows Single Sign-On only to local intranet sites. Consider KB41 to learn more about Internet Explorer behavior and workarounds.
  • Single Sign-On is disabled by default in Mozilla Firefox. You are requested to explicitly add your server to the whitelist of trusted sites. Consider the KB42 article.
  • Eclipse IDE may require additional configuration to use Single Sign-On. Consider the KB145 article for resolution steps.
  • Single Sign-On may fail if you run VisualSVN HTTP Service under a dedicated user account. This happens when you don't have Service Principal Name (SPN) configured properly for a dedicated user account. The issue and resolution are described in the article KB52.

Note that Integrated Windows Authentication is only available with the Enterprise license. So you will be requested to enter a license key. You can request a free evaluation license from the evaluation page.

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