Remote Access Password Tips

Transcription

1 Introduction: The following document was created to assist Remote Access users with password change and synchronization issues. IT&S has identified the following five (5) scenarios for remote access password synchronization: 1. You currently have a valid Mount Novell system login account but your Remote Access account is new or has not been accessed (most common). 2. Your Novell password expired and was changed but Remote Access was not changed (very common). 3. Your password status is currently OK but needs to be changed for security reasons. 4. Your Novell password is valid but Remote Access password has expired. 5. During a Remote Access login you are prompted to change your Novell password because it has expired. If you cannot gain access to the Mount s remote system and are receiving errors that indicate your password is incorrect, one of the above scenarios is likely true. If you attempt to login 3 times unsuccessfully, the system will invoke an intruder alert status and your account will be locked until an administrator unlocks it. You are urged to contact the IT&S Help desk if you believe your password may have been compromised. Before successfully changing your Remote Access password, it is important to understand a bit about how the remote authentication process works. At the Mount we use a hybrid Novell (Netware Directory Services) and Microsoft (Active Directory) authentication system. The Desktop you are using when logged in remotely is a terminal session located on a separate server in the IT&S server room. This is not the same desktop environment found on your office or LAB PC here at the Mount. Think of this server as one shared, Windows2000 PC with a select few software titles installed. Unfortunately, due to compatibility issues, performance, and license costs we cannot install every software title owned by the Mount. Because of this, your access options may be limited to basic file, and access. Because the remote server is a Windows2000 Server based product, it is different from that of most Windows XP desktop systems on campus. Security is much more complex in such an environment and thus the Windows2000 server is more cautious about who gains access, and how. When you log in to this type of environment, it is very important that your username and password for Novell and for Microsoft match precisely (both syntax and CASE sensitivity apply). For this reason, you will note that the Novell Client (or Login box) automatically converts your username to uppercase. If you have any difficulty with the following steps, please contact the IT&S help desk for assistance. Revision February 2010 Page 1

2 How to identify the 2 different login screens: The NOVELL Login screen looks as follows: The Windows Workstation login looks as follows: What you will need: Your old, or last valid system Password (if applicable) in order to successfully complete the change synchronization A new and unique password (at least 7 characters, preferably including numbers and/or symbols) Revision February 2010 Page 2

3 The following scenario represents the most common remote access password problem and is often seen when you currently possess a Mount login (Novell) account and have been granted access to the remote system more recently. For this scenario, you will have been granted a temporary password for remote access and notified as to what the password is. In our example we will assume your existing Novell password is ExistingPASS and the temporary password (provided when the remote account was created) is TemporaryPASS. When you attempt to login to remote access for the first time, you will see a Novell login dialog much like the one you use from anywhere on the Mount campus. Enter the username and password you would normally use as follows: You should then be prompted for Windows Workstation login credentials which will authenticate you to the remote server for the first time. Our goal here is to synchronize the Novell and Windows account credentials using the temporary password provided to you by IT&S. The Name field should be automatically filled in as follows: Revision February 2010 Page 3

4 At this point you will enter the temporary password AND check the box to Change your Windows password to match your NetWare password after a successful login as follows: NOTE: the checkbox is important as it is what instructs the remote server to synchronize the two systems. If you fail to do this, you will always be prompted for the second (temporary) Windows password. You will have to contact the IT&S help desk to initiate the remote access synchronization process again. Press the OK button once you have entered your temporary password and checked the box, and the system will present you with your remote access desktop environment. Your user ID and Existing password will then be used to gain access to the system and you will not be prompted for the Windows credentials for future login attempts. Revision February 2010 Page 4

5 The following scenario represents a common remote access password problem and is often seen when you change your Novell password on campus, resulting in the Novell and Remote Access passwords becoming out of synchronization. The following steps will demonstrate how to resynchronize your passwords for Remote Access. For this scenario, suppose your original Novell password is M5vu&old and your workstation at the Mount prompts you to change it because it has expired. You successfully change it to M5vu#NEW and continue working, logging in and out of your workstation successfully various times throughout the day. Later that evening from home, you attempt to log in to Remote Access as follows: Notice you are using the new password you set earlier in the day. You then notice a Remote Access login dialog asking for your windows password as follows: Revision February 2010 Page 5

6 Here you must enter your old or original password (the one you used prior to changing it earlier that day) M5vu&old AND check the box to Change your Windows password to match your NetWare password after a successful login as follows: NOTE: the checkbox is important as it is what instructs the remote server to synchronize the two systems. If you fail to do this, you will always be prompted for the second (temporary) Windows password. You will have to contact the IT&S help desk to initiate the remote access synchronization process again. Press the OK button once you have entered your old password and checked the box, and the system will present you with your remote access desktop environment. Your user ID and new password (M5vu#NEW) will henceforth be used to gain access to the system and you will not be prompted for the Windows credentials for future login attempts. Revision February 2010 Page 6

7 The following scenario explains how to change your password (for both Novell and remote access together). If you use the Remote Access system regularly, and your password needs to be changed, it is good practice to change your password from within the remote access system in order to keep your passwords synchronized (or to avoid Scenario number 2). If you think that your password may have been compromised or you wish to change your system password for any reason, you should use the following steps to change your password. Once you are logged in to the Remote Access system, click the START button, select settings, and click on the Windows Security menu selection as shown You will then be presented with the following NetWare security dialog: Click the Change Password button as indicated. Revision February 2010 Page 7

8 The Change Password dialog will appear with fields for old and new passwords, as well as a confirmation field for your new password. In the right-hand area you will also see a list of the system Resources or security domains used by MSVU for authentication. It is important to first ensure that both MSVU and CAMPUS_TREE are highlighted in blue or grey as circled below: If they are NOT highlighted, you may do so by holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard and clicking on each selection. Next click the Old Password field with your mouse and type your old (or existing) password. Use your mouse to click on the next field (New Password) and type in a new password (at least 7 characters, and should include numbers or symbols). The confirmation field will ensure you have typed the password correctly. When finished, click the OK button. A dialog will appear that indicates your password was successfully changed. REMEMBER your new password will now be used both on and off campus to authenticate. Revision February 2010 Page 8

9 Because the Remote Access system has its own authentication system, it is possible for the Windows, or (Remote Access) password to expire. Usually the Novell password will expire more often, causing a periodic password change with the Remote system. The following scenario is a very uncommon occurrence. If you are presented with a windows expiry notification, the following steps will allow you to change your password, while keeping the hybrid authentication systems synchronized. For this scenario, we will assume your original password is M5vu&old and when prompted to change, we will use M5vu&NEW as a new password. Let s assume you are logging in to the system as so: The following dialog indicates your Windows password will expire. Note that you have some time (14 days in this example) to change your password. You may decide to click the No button at this time, and then contact the helpdesk for assistance, otherwise click Yes to continue. Revision February 2010 Page 9

10 Once you have chosen Yes to the change password confirmation, the following dialog will appear: Type the new password you have chosen in the Enter new password field, and click down to the Retype new password field. Retype your new password here, and ensure the CAMPUS_TREE\Username item is highlighted in blue. If it is NOT highlighted, simply click once on it to select. You may then click the OK button to proceed. The Remote Access system will then take you to your desktop environment. Revision February 2010 Page 10

11 Most Novell passwords at the Mount are set to expire after 90 days. Password expiration can occur on campus at your office PC, or during a Remote Access login session. The following steps will guide you through changing your Novell password all the while keeping your Windows (Remote Access) password synchronized. For this scenario, we will assume your original password is M5vu&old and when prompted to change, we will use M5vu&NEW as a new password. Let s assume you are logging in to the system as so: The following dialog indicates your Windows password will expire. Note that you have some time (5 Grace login s in this example) to change your password. You may decide to click the No button at this time, or click Yes to continue and change the password. Revision February 2010 Page 11

12 If you chose Yes to change your password, you are then presented with the following Change Password dialog: Type the new password you have chosen in the Enter new password field, and click down to the Retype new password field. Retype your new password here, and ensure the MSVU\Username item is highlighted in blue. If it is NOT highlighted, simply click once on it to select. You may then click the OK button to proceed. Your password has then been successfully changed and the Remote Access system will take you to your desktop environment. Revision February 2010 Page 12