Administration

Authentication methods

The authentication method you use controls:

Which server performs the authentication.
Which passwords are used to authenticate users.

You can authenticate users on:

This VisionFS server, by their VisionFS or UNIX passwords.
Another VisionFS server, by their VisionFS or UNIX passwords.
A Windows NT server, by their passwords for that NT server.

Authenticating users on this (or another) VisionFS server using UNIX passwords

Passwords are transmitted unencrypted on the network, and are case-sensitive. Windows sends case-insensitive passwords, so VisionFS tries different combinations of uppercase and lowercase characters.
Passwords are stored on this (or the other) VisionFS server in the UNIX password database, which stores passwords for UNIX usernames.
Passwords are checked against users' UNIX usernames, taking into account any username mappings.
Users without an account on this (or the other) UNIX server are granted guest access only and the password is ignored.
You change these passwords on the UNIX server.

The authentication server's username mappings list is used to authenticate users, but this VisionFS server's username mappings list is used when a user performs an action.

NOTE: You can have a username mapping from a Windows user to a UNIX user that doesn't exist. The user will only be granted guest access.

Authenticating users on this (or another) VisionFS server using VisionFS passwords

Passwords are encrypted before transmission on the network, and are case-insensitive.
Passwords are stored in this (or the other) VisionFS server's VisionFS password database, which stores passwords for Windows usernames.
Passwords are checked against users' Windows usernames, without taking any username mappings into account.
Users without a password in this (or the other) VisionFS server's VisionFS password database are granted guest access only, whether or not they have an account on the UNIX server.
You change these passwords from Windows, using the authentication server's Profile Editor or a separate program in the authentication server's visiontools share, password.exe.

Authenticating users on a Windows NT server

Passwords are encrypted before transmission on the network, and are case-insensitive.
Passwords are stored in the NT server's user database, which stores passwords for Windows usernames.
Passwords are checked against users' Windows usernames. Username mappings don't apply to Windows NT servers.
Users without a password for this NT server are granted guest access only, whether or not they have an account on the UNIX server.
You change these passwords using standard Windows tools.