Passwords and the Active Directory module

Passwords and the Active Directory module

The HelpMaster Active Directory module does not synchronize passwords.  The password for a HelpMaster client and the password used for a Windows login (logging into your computer) are different things.  Although a user can manually set a HelpMaster client password to match a Windows password, these passwords will never be synchronized via the Active Directory module.

How does the automatic HelpMaster logon work? 

When the HelpMaster Active Directory module synchronizes Windows accounts with HelpMaster clients, it stores the unique Windows SID (Security Identifier) of an Active Directory account against the corresponding HelpMaster client record in the HelpMaster database.  Whenever HelpMaster is initially run and Active Directory logon is enabled, it first checks to see if the SID of the currently logged on (to Windows) person can be matched with any SID stored in the HelpMaster database.  If a match is found against a staff record, the logon screen is bypassed, and the HelpMaster client matching the SID of person logged onto Windows is automatically logged into HelpMaster.  The Windows password never plays a role in this operation.  It is based purely off of the Windows Security Identifier.

What if I want to log onto HelpMaster as someone other than the person logged onto Windows?

As you start a HelpMaster module, hold down the Shift key.  This will display the regular HelpMaster logon screen. 

Things to remember…

  • The HelpMaster username / password is independent from a Windows username and password. You can set them to be the same, but they are completely de-coupled from each other.
  • The Active Directory manager will not synchronize your Windows password with your HelpMaster password
  • When using the automatic logon (for Desktop or Web), you should never see the HelpMaster logon screen - you should automatically be logged on
  • Active Directory automatic logon does not mean that you can use your Windows username / password combination in the logon screen for HelpMaster - it just means that HelpMaster recognizes that the person who is logged onto Windows has a corresponding account in HelpMaster.

See Also

Resetting a client’s HelpMaster password

Resetting a client’s Windows password