Authentication String Alias introduction

When an Authentication String Alias is defined, it overrides any entry in the Login dialog box of the AR System client. The Authentication String Alias can be used to identify the correct authentication domain for the user.

Use the Authentication String Alias in the following situations:

• When users belong to specific authentication domains and you do not want to require users to enter an authentication string when they log in.
  
  
• When a user's computer account or domain name is subject to changes. Leveraging an Authentication String Alias enables the user to continue using the same user name to log in throughout the changes.

Configuring the Authentication String Alias

To configure an Authentication String Alias, add a character field to the User form in BMC Remedy Developer Studio and name it Authentication String. Set the field's properties as follows:

You can set any permissions, including whether the values are optional or required. You can also create workflow to populate and validate the values in these fields.

The information in the Authentication String field is accessed when the user logs in to an AR System client and the following conditions apply:

• Cross-Reference Blank Password is configured on the BMC Remedy AR System server. (See Cross-referencing blank passwords for more information.)
• The Password field on the User form is empty.
• One of the following external authentication methods is used:
  • An AREA plug-in
  • A Windows Domain server (when the BMC Remedy AR System server is running on a Windows platform)
  • A UNIX password resolution (when the BMC Remedy AR System server is running on a UNIX platform)
    
    Login dialog box
    
    

The Authentication String Alias field on the User form interacts with the Authentication field in the Login dialog box according to the following rules:

• The value in the Authentication String field on the User form is used instead of the entry in the Authentication field in the Login dialog box.

• For backwards compatibility, if the Authentication String Alias field is not present on the User form or the value in this field is NULL, the information entered in the Login dialog box is used for authentication.

These rules apply to all BMC Remedy AR System clients, including those accessing a BMC Remedy AR System server by using C or Java APIs.