Dell NetWorker 19.9 Administration Guide

Resetting the forgotten administrator password

To reset the administrator password, create a JSON file on the NetWorker server that contains the new password in a Base64 encoded format.

1. To determine the Base64 password value for the new password, use Base64 encoding utilities:
   • On Windows, perform the following steps:
     1. Create a text file and specify the password value in clear text, on one line.

        For example, create a password file that is called mypassword_in.txt with the password value"1.Password"..

     2. To create a Base64 encoded password for the password value that is defined in the mypassword_in.txt file, use the certutil.exe utility.

        For example:

        certutil.exe -encode mypassword_in.txt mypassword_out.txt

        Where mypassword_out.txt is the name of the output file that contains the Base64 encoded password.

        Output similar to the following appears:

        Input Length = 10
        Output Length = 74
        CertUtil: -encode command completed successfully.
        

        The contents of the mypassword_out.txt file contains the following encoded text for the password value "1.Password":

        -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
        MS5QYXNzd29yZA==
        -----END CERTIFICATE-----
        

        Where the Base64 encoded password is MS5QYXNzd29yZA== .

   • To create the Base64 encoded password on Linux, use the base64 utility.

     For example, to create the Base64 encoded password for a password value of "1.Password", type:

     echo -n "1.Password" | base64

     The command displays the encoded text for the password value "1.Password": MS5QYXNzd29yZA==

2. Use a text editor to open the authc-local-config.json.template file, which is located in the C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-server\scripts folder on Windows and the /opt/nsr/authc-server/scripts directory on Linux.
3. In the template file, perform the following steps:
   1. Replace the your_username variable with the name of the administrator account for which you want to reset the password.
   2. Replace the your_encoded_password variable with the base64 encoded password value.
   For example, to reset the password for the user account administrator with a password of "1.Password ", the modified file appears as follows:

   {
       "local_users": [
       {
           "user name": "administrator",
           "password": "MS5QYXNzd29yZA=="
       }]
   }
   

4. Rename the authc-local-config.json.template file to authc-local-config.json.
5. Copy the authc-local-config.json file to the Tomcat conf folder.

   By default, the conf folder is/nsr/authc/conf on Linux and C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\authc-server\tomcat\conf on Windows.

6. Change privileges on the authc-local-config.json file:
   chmod 755 /nsr/authc/conf/authc-local-config.json
   If you do not change the privileges, the authc-server.log displays an error indicating that you do not have the necessary permissions to open the file.
7. On the NetWorker server, stop, and then start the services:
   • For Windows, type the following commands from a command prompt:

     net stop nsrexecd

     net start nsrd

     NOTE:If the NetWorker server is also the NMC server, start the NMC server service. Type the following commands: net start gstd
   • For Linux, type the following commands:

     /etc/init.d/networker stop
     /etc/init.d/networker start
     

   When the NetWorker Authentication Service starts, the startup process checks for the authc-local-config.json. If the file exists and the password adheres to the minimum password policy requirements defined for a password, the NetWorker Authentication Service resets the password. Review the authc-server.log file for errors.

   By default, the authc-server.log file is located in /nsr/authc/logs on Linux and C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\authc\tomcat\logs on Windows.

   NOTE:The startup process automatically deletes the authc-local-config.json file to ensure that the password is not reset the next time that you restart the NetWorker Authentication Service.
8. To confirm that you can connect to the NetWorker Authentication Service with the new password, use the authc_mgmt command.
   For example:

   authc_mgmt -u administrator -p "1.Password" -e find-all-users

   
   The query returns 2 records.
   User Id User Name
   1000    administrator
   1001    svc_nmc_bu-iddnwserver2