Installation and configuration of the "Projects" module

The Projects module is installed through the platform interface. After installing the module, functions for grouping services, access control, and cost limits become available.

Installation of the module

To install the module, go to the Integration → Modules → Projects section and click Install.

After installation, the Project Management section becomes available in the left menu with subsections:

• Project Settings — enabling project work for providers, creating and configuring cloud categories and cloud tariffs;
• Projects — a list of projects for all clients, managing services and project participants.

Enabling project work

To enable clients to work with projects, enable the corresponding setting for the required provider:

1. In the main menu, go to Project Management → Project Settings.
2. Select the provider.
3. Click Enable.
4. Click OK to save the changes.

After enabling the setting, the Project Management section appears in the client area. Default projects named "New project" are automatically created for all existing and new clients. The client's active services are not included in the created project.

Separating payments by expenses

If the client's accounting department needs to separate financial flows, you can enable the option to separate payments by projects in the provider settings. In this case, payments and expenses will be displayed separately for each project. By default, financial transactions are grouped together for the entire client. For more information see the article Expenses (expense).

Cloud category configuration

Cloud category is a catalog category whose services are isolated in the project cloud.

A cloud category combines resource tariffs (for example, virtual servers and private networks) that will be hosted in an isolated tenant of an external system. For example, a provider can create a "Public cloud" category for standard tasks or a "High-load cloud" category for resources with enhanced specifications.

For the cloud category to work correctly, the following are required:

• a separate virtualization handler;
• a special tariff of the "Project cloud" product type that is not used in other categories.

Creating cloud categories

To create a cloud category:

1. Navigate to Project Management → Project Settings → select a provider → click Clouds.
2. Click Create.
3. Select or create an active tariff with one handler that:
   • supports project clouds;
   • is not used in other cloud categories.

   For more information, see the article How to create and configure a tariff plan.

4. In the Main block, fill in the fields:
   • Name — category name;
   • Internal Name — internal category name used for identification. It cannot be changed after creation;
   • Sorting — allows you to set the order of the category among other menu sections.
5. In the Order block, configure the display:
   • Tariff Display — select how category tariffs will be displayed on the first order step. Available options:
     • as a list;
     • as blocks.
   • Icon — upload an icon to display the category in the menu. The standard icon display size is 32x32 pixels.
6. In the Cloud block, specify isolation parameters:
   • Handler — the handler that will create project clouds for the category. It cannot be changed after the category is created;
   • Cloud Tariff — the tariff by which the project cloud will be opened. Available for selection are tariffs not linked to any cloud category;
   • When to create a cloud — select the cloud creation timing. Available options:
     • When creating a project — the cloud is created for each new project;
     • On the first order — the cloud is created when the first cloud category service is ordered in the project.
   • Cloud service order period — specify the period. Available options:
     • month;
     • three months;
     • six months;
     • year.
7. Click:
   • OK to save changes;
   • Save and go to tariffs to go to cloud tariff configuration.

Modifying cloud categories

To modify a cloud category:

1. Navigate to Project Management → Project Settings → select a provider → click Clouds.
2. Select a cloud category.
3. Click Change.

Configuring services outside cloud categories

A cloud category can consist of several product types. For example, in addition to virtual server tariffs, you can add private network tariffs or other additional services. In the tariff list, the system marks those that are already part of another catalog category. This helps prevent adding services again.

To configure services available for ordering outside cloud categories:

1. Navigate to Project Management → Project Settings, select a provider, and click Clouds.
2. Select the cloud categories from which tariffs need to be excluded.
3. Click Other services.
4. Select tariffs for ordering outside categories.
5. Click:
   • Connect to connect a service to the cloud;
   • Disconnect to disconnect previously connected services.

Configuring user synchronization

To automatically manage access, the platform supports user synchronization from an external directory using LDAP. You can automatically load the organizational structure and assign access rights.

When project synchronization is enabled, directory groups are imported as platform projects. For each client whose users belong to a directory group, a separate project is created. Only users imported as client users are included in the project. The membership of such projects is determined by the directory: members added manually in the platform interface are deleted during the next synchronization.

To configure project synchronization:

1. In the main menu, go to Integration → LDAP Synchronization.
2. Select a connection and click the Change button.
3. Make sure that user import is configured on the Attributes, Employees, and Clients tabs. Project synchronization only works for those already imported into the system as a client or employee. For more information, see the Integration with LDAP article.
4. Go to the Projects tab.
5. Enable the Synchronize projects option.

6. Specify the synchronization parameters:

   1. Path to groups — the path in the directory where the groups to be imported are located.

   2. Search area — the search area for groups relative to the path to users:

      • one — search among child entries one level down;
      • sub — search among all child entries to the full depth of the hierarchy, including the entry pointed to by the path to users;
      • children — search similar to sub, but without considering the entry pointed to by the path to users;
      • base — search only the entry pointed to by the path to users.
   3. Group import filter — a filter for selecting specific groups. For example, (|(cn=frontend)(cn=analysts)(cn=qa))).
   4. Project name attribute — the attribute of a directory group on the LDAP server that stores the group name. For example, CN.
   5. Group membership filter — used in queries to the LDAP server when determining a user's group membership. If a user meets the filter conditions, they will be imported as a client user. You can specify the __group_dn__ macro in the filter — when the query is executed, the macro will be replaced with the group's dn, obtained from the data specified in the Projects tab settings.
   6. Group user import filter — used in queries to the LDAP server when requesting users of a group that is imported as a client.
7. Click OK to save the changes.