Canvas

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Description

Canvas is a learning management system (LMS) that PS1 is considering implementing to assist with documenting and to some degree, automating the tool and equipment authorization process and documentation.

Canvas can be visited at https://canvas.pumpingstationone.org

It is early in the deployment process. Ask Kathryn Born (kathryn.born@pumpingstationone.org) and Gary Newhouse for more information, or to participate.

How do I get a password for Canvas?

You first need to be in our new member management software, Wild Apricot. Login using the Active Directory username you created in Wild Apricot. You can reset your AD password here via email - https://selfservice.pumpingstationone.org/ This is not and does not affect your Wild Apricot login, however.

Feb 25, 2019: The Canvas login has been modified to use your "New AD" username instead of your email address to reduce confusion. You can check your "New AD" username on your Wild Apricot profile. You can reset the password to your AD/Canvas account from https://selfservice.pumpingstationone.org

For more information about various PS1 usernames and logins, see the appropriate wiki pages for Username and Login.

Technical Overview

Canvas is currently hosted in Azure as a prebuilt Bitnami container. It connects back to the space via a site-to-site VPN for authentication.

Azure Deployment

Deployment uses the Bitnami Canvas LMS stack - https://bitnami.com/stack/canvaslms

Canvas currently runs in the bitnami-canvaslms-534e-rgroup resource group on Azure

The following components drive Canvas:

Resource Name Resource Type Location
bitnami-canvaslms-534e Virtual machine Central US
bitnami-canvaslms-534e-ip Public IP address Central US
bitnami-canvaslms-534eni Network interface Central US
bitnami-canvaslms-534e-securitygroup Network security group Central US
Canvas-534e Connection Central US
canvasVault6-15-18 Recovery Services vault Central US
CanvasVPN-534e Virtual network gateway Central US
CanvasVPN-ip-534e Public IP address Central US
vpc-bitnami-canvaslms-534e Virtual network Central US

Azure VPN

The Azure VPN is used to facilitate LDAP authentication against Active_Directory.

Azure Backups

Azure is configured to make daily incremental backups of Canvas. As of 11/1/18 it contains 4 months of backups totaling 70GB.

Authentication

Canvas uses LDAP to authenticate against onsite Active Directory. Canvas user information is populated by a PowerShell script that runs on DC1.pumpingstationone.org every 15 minutes as a Windows Scheduled Task. (Script should really be hosted on the PS1 github)

References

Canvas Training

Configuring Canvas authentication with LDAP