Document revision date: 30 March 2001
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Compaq Advanced Server for OpenVMS
Server Administrator's Guide


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3.1.13 Displaying User Accounts

To display information about user accounts, use the SHOW USERS command. For example:


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW USERS 
 
User accounts in domain "LANDOFOZ": 
 
User Name          Full Name      Type    Description 
--------------     -----------    ------  ------------------------ 
Administrator                     Global   Built-in account for 
                                           administering the domain 
Guest                             Global   Built-in account for 
                                           guest access to the domain 
LION               Lion,Cowardly  Global   Cowardly Lion 
SCARECROW          Man, Straw     Global   The Straw Man 
 
   Total of 4 user accounts 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

3.1.13.1 Example: Sorting the Display by User Full Name

To sort the display by user full name, use the SHOW USERS/SORT=FULLNAME command, as in the following example:


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW USERS/SORT=FULLNAME 
 
User accounts in domain "LANDOFOZ:" 
 
Full Name      User Name        Type    Description 
-------------- -------------    ------  --------------------------- 
               Administrator    Global  Built-in account for 
                                        administering the domain 
               Guest            Global  Built-in account for guest 
                                        access to the domain 
Lion, Cowardly  LION            Global  Cowardly Lion 
Man, Straw      SCARECROW       Global  The Straw Man 
 
   Total of 4 user accounts 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

3.1.13.2 Example: Reviewing User Account Settings for a Specific User

To display user account settings for a specific user, use the SHOW USERS/FULL command. For example, the following display shows the settings for user LION.


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW USERS LION/FULL 
 
User accounts in domain "LANDOFOZ": 
 
User Name       Full Name       Type    Description 
--------------- --------------- ------- ------------- 
LION            Lion, Cowardly  Global  Cowardly Lion 
   User profile: 
   Logon script: 
   Home Path: D: Path: \\TINMAN\USERS\LION 
   Primary Group: Domain Users 
   Member of groups: Domain Users, MUNCHKINS 
   Workstations: No workstation restrictions 
   Logon Flags: Logon script is executed, Password is expired 
   Account Type: Global 
   Account Expires: Never 
   Logon hours (All hours) 
   Last Log On: 08/23/00 05:07 PM 
   Password Last Set: 06/30/00 11:03 AM 
   Password Changeable: 06/30/00 11:03 AM 
   Password Expires: 09/11/00 11:03 AM 
 
  Total of 1 user account 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

3.1.14 Modifying User Accounts

Use the MODIFY USER command to change the attributes of an existing user account. You can:

3.1.14.1 Example: Adding an Existing User to a Group

To add an existing user to a group, use the MODIFY USER/ADD_TO_GROUPS command, as in the following example:


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> MODIFY USER SCARECROW/ADD_TO_GROUPS=MUNCHKINS 
%PWRK-S-USERMOD, user "SCARECROW" modified on domain "LANDOFOZ" 

You can then enter the SHOW GROUPS/FULL command to see that the group MUNCHKINS now includes the user SCARECROW:


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW GROUPS MUNCHKINS/FULL 
 
Groups in domain "LANDOFOZ": 
Group Name            Type    Description 
--------------------  ------  ------------------------------------ 
MUNCHKINS             Global  Users in the Land of Oz 
    Members: [US]LION, [US]SCARECROW) 
 
  Total of 1 group) 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

3.1.14.2 Example: Changing a user's logon hours

To change the hours when a user can log on, use the MODIFY USER/HOURS command. For example, to restrict a user to logging on only on Monday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., specify /HOURS=(MON=(8-9,15-20)).

For example, to modify LION's logon hours, use the MODIFY USER command, as follows.


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> MODIFY USER LION/HOURS=(MON=(8-9,15-20)) 
%PWRK-S-USERMOD, user "LION" modified on domain "LANDOFOZ" 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

You can verify that the change was made correctly using the SHOW USERS/FULL command. For example:


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW USERS LION/FULL 
 
User accounts in domain "LANDOFOZ": 
 
User Name       Full Name       Type     Description 
--------------- --------------- ------- ------------- 
LION            Lion, Cowardly  Global  Cowardly Lion 
   User profile: 
   Logon script: 
   Home Path: D: Path: \\TINMAN\USERS\LION 
   Primary Group: Domain Users 
   Member of groups: Domain Users, MUNCHKINS 
   Workstations: No workstation restrictions 
   Logon Flags: Logon script is executed, Password is expired 
   Account Type: Global 
   Account Expires: Never 
   Logon hours: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2   
                0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 
        Sunday: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
        Monday: - - - - - - - - X X - - - - - X X X X X X - - - 
       Tuesday: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
     Wednesday: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
      Thursday: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
        Friday: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
      Saturday: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
   Last Log On: 08/23/00 05:07 PM 
   Password Last Set: 06/30/00 11:03 AM 
   Password Changeable: 06/30/00 11:03 AM 
   Password Expires: 09/11/00 11:03 AM 
 
  Total of 1 user account 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

3.1.15 Disabling and Removing User Accounts

A user's ability to log on can be rescinded by either disabling or removing the user account. A disabled user account still exists, but the user is not permitted to log on. It continues to appear in the user accounts list. It can be restored to enabled status at any time. A removed account is permanently removed and cannot be recreated with the same security settings.

Each user in a domain is identified by a unique security identifier (SID). The SID is created when a user account is created and is used when assigning permissions to a resource. Because a SID is unique to an account, a new account, even with the same user name, is assigned a new SID. Therefore, if you delete a user account and then need to create another user account for the same user with the same user name, the new user account will not have the rights or permissions that previously were granted to the old user account, because the user account will have a different SID. To avoid problems, first disable a user account you want to remove and then remove it after a reasonable time.

3.1.15.1 Disabling a User Account

Set the account to Disabled, using the MODIFY USER/FLAGS=(DISUSER) command.

3.1.15.2 Deleting a User Account

To delete a user account, use the REMOVE USER command. You are prompted for confirmation before the command executes.

A deleted user account is removed from the user accounts list and cannot be restored or recreated. Make sure that you want to delete a user account before doing so. For example:


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> REMOVE USER LION 
Each user account is represented by a unique identifier which is 
independent of the user name.  Once the user account is deleted, 
even creating an identically named user account in the future will 
not restore access to resources which currently name this user 
account in the access control list. 
Remove user "LION" [YES or NO] (YES) : YES 
%PWRK-S-USERREM, user "LION" removed from domain "LANDOFOZ" 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

3.1.16 User Account Host Mapping

Advanced Server provides user account host mapping, which associates a network user account with an OpenVMS user account, simplifying the management of both user accounts. Host mapping is required for users who are externally authenticated, as described in Section 3.1.17, External Authentication.

Every file on an OpenVMS system must have an owner. Host mapping establishes which OpenVMS account is assigned as the owner when an Advanced Server user creates files or directories. Host mapping is also used to determine the OpenVMS user name when logging on to OpenVMS using external authentication. Additionally, when the Advanced Server and OpenVMS security model is enabled, host mappings are used to determine the OpenVMS access rights permitted to the user. The security models are selected using the Configuration Manager, as described in Section 7.1, Managing File Server Parameters Affecting System Resources.

3.1.16.1 Implicit and Explicit Host Mapping

The Advanced Server supports both explicit and implicit host mapping between OpenVMS and Advanced Server user accounts. You can explicitly map a network user name to an OpenVMS user name using the ADMINISTER command ADD HOSTMAP.

Implicit host mapping is established when:

Host mapping is used to determine the OpenVMS user name when logging on to OpenVMS using external authentication. The user account Administrator is implicitly mapped to the OpenVMS user account SYSTEM. Therefore, if you enable the OpenVMS user account SYSTEM for external authentication, you can log in to the SYSTEM account using the Administrator user name and password, without explicitly defining any host map information. See Section 3.1.17, External Authentication, for more information.

Implicit host mapping is based on the user account names. Therefore, if you copy the Administrator account or the Guest account, you must specifically set up host mapping for the new user accounts. If you rename the Administrator or Guest account, the implicit mapping is not preserved. You must explicitly map the newly renamed account name to the OpenVMS SYSTEM account using the ADMINISTER command ADD HOSTMAP.

3.1.16.2 Establishing User Account Host Mapping

By default, if a user name for a network user account is identical to the user name for an OpenVMS user account, the user accounts are host mapped. Files created by the network user are automatically designated with the OpenVMS owner setting. This feature is controlled by a set of server configuration parameters, described in Section 7.2, Managing Server Configuration Parameters Stored in the OpenVMS Registry, and listed in Appendix A, Server Configuration Parameters, including:

When a user creates a file or directory using the Advanced Server, the resource is assigned the OpenVMS ownership associated with the user's mapped account. The mapped account is used for OpenVMS resource ownership. (For more information about enabling this security model, see Section 7.1, Managing File Server Parameters Affecting System Resources.)

3.1.16.2.1 Setting Up Explicit Host Mapping

To set up explicit host mapping, use the ADD HOSTMAP command in the following form:

ADD HOSTMAP network-user-name OpenVMS-user-name

In the following example, the network user account for SCARECROW is host mapped to the user's OpenVMS user account STRAWMAN. If SCARECROW creates a file, the file is assigned the RMS ownership attributes associated with the OpenVMS account STRAWMAN.


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> ADD HOSTMAP SCARECROW STRAWMAN 
%PWRK-S-HOSTMAPADD, user "SCARECROW" mapped to host user "STRAWMAN" 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

3.1.16.2.2 Displaying Host Mapping

To display host mapping, use the SHOW HOSTMAP command. For example:


LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW HOSTMAP 
Host Mappings for server "TINMAN": 
 
User Name                       Host Name 
----------------------------    ----------- 
Guest                           PWRK$GUEST 
SCARECROW                       STRAWMAN 
LION                            CLION 
 
  Total of 3 host mappings 
 
LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> 

3.1.17 External Authentication

External authentication allows the OpenVMS system manager to set up an OpenVMS user account for which login authentication is verified by the Advanced Server domain security. External authentication allows the Advanced Server to do the user authentication for both Advanced Server domain user and OpenVMS user accounts.

External authentication is an option for users who have both OpenVMS and Advanced Server domain user accounts. It is not required. User host mapping provides the link between these two accounts, as described in Section 3.1.16, User Account Host Mapping.

With external authentication, users get automatic password synchronization between their OpenVMS account and their corresponding Advanced Server domain account. The passwords are synchronized whenever a user logs in to the OpenVMS account, provided that an Advanced Server domain controller is available to service the request. Externally authenticated users are considered to have a single password and are not subject to OpenVMS password policies, such as password expiration, password history, and minimum and maximum password length restrictions. Users are, however, subject to the Advanced Server domain user account policy that is defined. All other OpenVMS account restrictions remain in effect, such as disabled accounts, time restrictions, and quotas. For information on enabling external authentication, refer to the Compaq Advanced Server for OpenVMS Server Installation and Configuration Guide. For information about setting up the system and enabling OpenVMS user accounts for external authentication, refer to the OpenVMS Guide to System Security.

3.1.17.1 Configuring the Server Capacity for External Authentication

By default, the Advanced Server can support up to 10 simultaneous external authentication logon requests (signons). You can modify this maximum to suit the server requirements, using the Configuration Manager. For more details, see Section 7.1.4.4, Specifying the Maximum Number of Concurrent Signons.

3.1.17.2 Synchronizing Passwords

The password of an externally authenticated OpenVMS user is automatically synchronized with the host mapped Advanced Server domain user, regardless of the role of the Advanced Server in the domain.

When a user changes the OpenVMS password using the OpenVMS command SET PASSWORD, and external authentication is set for the user, OpenVMS forwards the password change request to the Advanced Server. When the password change request is successfully processed, OpenVMS updates the OpenVMS user password. If Advanced Server is not running when the OpenVMS command SET PASSWORD is executed, the domain password is not changed.

When users change their passwords from their client workstations, or the server administrator changes a password with the ADMINISTER command SET PASSWORD, the Advanced Server processes the password change as usual. The OpenVMS password is synchronized when the user next logs in to OpenVMS. All password changes are synchronized. When an OpenVMS user no longer has the external authentication flag set, the password for the OpenVMS user account is the same as the one that was last set by Advanced Server.

When users change their password on the OpenVMS system or on their client computer, they should use the new password to log in to OpenVMS. If, for some reason, the Advanced Server software is down at the time of the OpenVMS login, users can use their old OpenVMS password to log in, but only if you have enabled overriding of external authentication. In this case, privileged users can enter the /LOCAL_PASSWORD qualifier after their OpenVMS user name at the login prompt, as explained in Section 3.1.17.3, Bypassing External Authentication When the Network Is Down. This causes OpenVMS to perform local authentication.

Note

Password synchronization may fail due to the different sets of valid characters allowed by OpenVMS and Advanced Server. Keep this in mind when changing the password of an externally authenticated user.

3.1.17.3 Bypassing External Authentication When the Network Is Down

External authentication cannot occur if a network connection is required and the network is down. However, as a temporary solution, privileged users can enter the /LOCAL_PASSWORD qualifier after the OpenVMS user name at the login prompt, to specify local authentication. Be sure to specify the OpenVMS user name and password when using the /LOCAL_PASSWORD qualifier.

Because using the /LOCAL_PASSWORD qualifier effectively overrides the security policy established by the system manager, it is allowed only when the user's account has SYSPRV as an authorized privilege. This allows the system manager to gain access to the system when the network is down.

When Bit 1 is set in the SYS$SINGLE_SIGNON logical name, nonprivileged users who are normally externally authenticated can log in locally (the /LOCAL_PASSWORD qualifier need not be specified).

For more information about the /LOCAL_PASSWORD qualifier for the login command line, refer to the OpenVMS Guide to System Security.

3.1.17.4 Logging On to Externally Authenticated Accounts

OpenVMS accepts the user name in one of the following formats for user accounts set for external authentication:

The form of the user name string determines the order in which OpenVMS verifies the logon:

3.1.17.5 Avoiding User Name Conflicts

Because external authentication depends on host mapping information, it is important to set up user accounts and host mapping carefully. For example, if the same user name exists in the Advanced Server and OpenVMS, but they are not the same user, external authentication may not work as you expect.

In the following examples, you have Advanced Server running on OpenVMS node VMS1 in the domain SaleOffice, with network users Smith and J_Smith and OpenVMS users Smith and V_Smith:

3.1.17.6 Setting Up External Authentication by a Trusted Domain

You can set up an OpenVMS account to be externally authenticated by a trusted domain in your network. To enable this feature, you must include the trusted domain name in the data field for the server configuration parameter HostMapDomains in the OpenVMS Registry. See Section 7.2, Managing Server Configuration Parameters Stored in the OpenVMS Registry.

For example, if your OpenVMS system is in the SaleOffice domain, and this domain trusts the Marketing domain, set up OpenVMS user Jones to be externally authenticated by the Marketing domain as follows:

  1. Set the data field for the server configuration parameter HostMapDomains to include the trusted domain name, as follows:


    $ REGUTL :== $SYS$SYSTEM:PWRK$REGUTL 
    $ REGUTL SET PARAM/CREATE VMSSERVER HOSTMAPDOMAINS Marketing 
    

  2. Ensure that a network user account with user name Jones exists in the Marketing Domain.
  3. Enable external authentication for OpenVMS user account Jones.
  4. To log on, the user must specify the user name in one of the following forms:


     
    Jones@Marketing 
    Marketing\Jones 
    


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