Export users and passwords from Active directory into PHP

I am developing a web application for my university project this summer and I am looking for some advice, The web application is to be deployed in to a windows environment that has around 500 users. The users will need to login before they can access the web application, this is where my first problem appears.

Do I need a way to export the users from active directory with their passwords on a daily basis. However I know t开发者_StackOverflow社区hat passwords are stored as a hash not clear text so id have to mimic the hashing in my web app. So do I use LDAP to authenticate the users for me? I would appreciate some advice of maybe a link to a resource that anyone knows that would be worth me reading.

Note. The web application will be made in PHP with a sql database running on a windows server inside the same domain.

Thanks

PHP has an LDAP module that allows you to interface the Active Directory without exporting it.

Here is an example of implementing an LDAP authentication through php: http://code.activestate.com/recipes/101525-ldap-authentication/

Since PHP has libraries to assist you with interacting with LDAP already then that might be the way to go. Exporting and managing users yourself sounds like reinventing the wheel.

Just contact the auth server using PHP::LDAP. This blog post shows a good example.