Managing passwords (Windows)
Password management allows you to manage the network security of backup sets in two ways:
• Associate specific backup sets to designated users
• Rotate the password of the designated users on demand or automatically
When prompted, the DS-Client Service changes the Windows password of the specified network user or computer user. When automatic password rotation is enabled, DS-Client randomly selects a new password for the specified user at a frequency and within the constraints that you define in a rotation rule.
IMPORTANT: When password rotation is applied to a user account, the account cannot be used for logon or as credentials on your network until an administrator manually resets the password in the computer management console of Windows.
NOTE: When password management is used, you must manage backup sets in the Password Management dialog box. You cannot use the Backup Set Properties dialog box because the password is changed.
To manage passwords:
1. On the Setup menu, click Password Rotation. The Password Management dialog box appears.
2. Do one of the following:
• To add the password of a user, click Add.
• To edit the password of a user, click Edit.
3. In the Create User dialog box, do the following:
a) In the Enter User Information section, type the new user’s logon information, and then click Next.
b) To enable automatic password rotation, select the Enable Automatic Password Rotation check box.
NOTE: If you do not enable automatic password rotation, the password of this user can be rotated on demand after the user has been added to the Managed Passwords list.
c) In the Available Password Rotation Rules dialog box appears, do the following:
• To apply an existing rotation rule, select the required rule, and then click Select.
• To add a new password rotation rule, click New. Type a name for the password rule and define the length constraints for the password.
• To define a new complexity rule, click Add. In the Add Complexity Rule dialog box, select the minimum length and character set from which to choose the characters for the password, and then click OK.
• When you have finished defining the password rotation rule in the Add Password Rotation Rule dialog box, click OK.
The password rotation rule is added to the list of Available Password Rotation Rules
1. In the Available Password Rotation Rules dialog box, select the required rule from the list, and then click Select.
2. In the Select Password Rotation Rule section, type and select the details for rotation frequency, and then click Next.
This password rotation rule is now applied to the rotation settings to enable automatic password rotation for this user.
d) To associate one or multiple backup sets with this user, click Select. In the Select Backup Sets dialog box, select one or multiple backup sets to associate with the user, and then click OK.
NOTE: After you have applied your selection, your selection will overwrite the Connect As setting (Backup Set Properties) for all selected backup sets.
e) Click Finish.
4. To associate a backup set with an existing user that has managed password, select the user in the Password Management dialog box, and then click Edit.
a) In the Modify User dialog box, in the Backup Sets tab, click Select.
b) In the Select Backup Sets dialog box, select one or multiple backup sets to associate with the user, and then click OK.
NOTE: After you have applied your selection, your selection will overwrite the Connect As setting (Backup Set Properties) for all selected backup sets.
The backup set is now associated with the user.
5. To dissociate a backup set from a user that has managed password, select the user in the Password Management dialog box, and then click Edit.
a) In the Modify User dialog box, in the Backup Sets tab, click Select.
b) In the Select Backup Sets dialog box, clear the backup set that you want to dissociate from the user, and then click OK.
The backup set is now dissociated with the user.
6. To edit the password rotation settings of a user, select the user in the Password Management dialog box, and then click Edit.
a) To enable automatic password rotation, in the Modify User dialog box, in the Password Rotation tab, select Enable Automatic Password Rotation and do the following:
NOTE: If you do not select this option, the password of this user can be rotated on demand after the user has been added to the Managed Passwords list.
• To apply an existing rotation rule, select the required rule in the Available Password Rotation Rules dialog box, and then click Select.
• To add a new rotation rule to apply, click New and do the following.
1. In the Add Password Rotation Rule dialog box, type a Name for the password rule and define the length constraints for the password.
2. To define a new complexity rule, click Add in the Complexity Constraints section and type the required parameters in the Add Complexity Rule dialog box, and then click OK.
3. When you have finished defining the password rotation rule, click OK to add the password rotation rule to the list of Available Password Rotation Rules.
4. In the Available Password Rotation Rules dialog box, select the required rule from the list, and then click Select.
5. To configure rotation frequency, in the Modify User dialog box, in the Password Rotation tab, type and select the details in the Rotation Settings section.
b) To apply a different password rotation rule for automatic password rotation, in the Modify User dialog box, in the Password Rotation tab, click [...]. In the Available Password Rotation Rules dialog box, select the required rule, and then click Select.
c) To modify an existing password rotation rule and apply the rule to the user, In the Available Password Rotation Rules dialog box, select the rule, click Edit, and do the following.
1. In the Edit Password Rotation Rule dialog box, make the necessary modifications to the password rotation rule.
2. When you have finished defining the password rotation rule, click OK.
3. In the Available Password Rotation Rules dialog box, select the required rule from the list, and then click Select.
d) When you have finished modifying the password rotations of the user, click Apply and OK.
7. To rotate a password immediately, select the user in the Managed Passwords list, and then click Rotate Now.
The password is changed, and the Last Updated time is updated. All password changes are logged in the DS-Client Audit Trail. For more information, see
“Viewing the Audit Trail”.
8. When you have made the required password management changes, in the Password Management dialog box, click Close.