Managing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment

Chapter 3:Creating and Managing

User Accounts

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Objectives

• Understand the purpose of user accounts• Understand the user authentication process• Understand and configure local, roaming, and

mandatory user profiles• Configure and modify user accounts using

different methods• Troubleshoot user account and authentication

problems

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Introduction to User Accounts

• A user account is an Active Directory object• Represents information that defines a user with

access to network (first name, last name, password, etc.)

• Required for anyone using resources on network• Assists in administration and security• Must follow organizational standards

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User Account Properties

• Primary tool for creating and managing accounts is Active Directory Users and Computers

• Active Directory is extensible so additional tabs may be added to property pages

• Major account properties that can be set include:• General• Address• Account• Profile • Sessions

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Activity 3-1: Reviewing User Account Properties

• Objective is to review properties of user accounts through main tabs of Active Directory Users and Computers

• Start Administrative Tools Active Directory Users and Computers Users AdminXX account Properties

• Explore tabs and values as directed

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The Account Tab of Properties

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User Authentication• The process by which a user’s identity is validated• Used to grant or deny access to network resources• From a client operating system

• Name, password, resource required

• In Active Directory environment• Domain controller authenticates

• In a workgroup• Local SAM database authenticates

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Authentication Methods

• Two main processes• Interactive authentication

• User account information is supplied at log on

• Network authentication

• User’s credentials are confirmed for network access

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Interactive Authentication

• The process by which a user provides a user name and password for authentication

• For domain logon, credentials compared to centralized Active Directory database

• For local logon, credentials compared to local SAM database

• In domain environments, users normally don’t have local accounts

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Network Authentication

• The process by which a network service confirms the identify of a user

• For a user who logs on to domain, network authentication is transparent• Credentials from interactive authentication valid for

network resources

• A user who logs on to local computer will be prompted to log on to network resource separately

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Authentication Protocols

• Windows Server 2003 supports two main authentication protocols:• Kerberos version 5 (Kerberos v5)• NT LAN Manager (NTLM)

• Kerberos v5 is primary protocol for Active Directory environments but is not supported on all client systems

• NTLM is primary protocol for older Microsoft operating systems

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Kerberos v5• Primary authentication protocol used in Active

Directory domain environments• Supported by Windows 2000, Windows XP,

Windows Server 2003• Protocol followed:

• Log on request passed to Key Distribution Center (KDC), a Windows Server 2003 domain controller

• KDC authenticates user and, if valid, issues a ticket-granting ticket (TGT) to client system

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Kerberos v5 (continued)

• When client requests a network resource, it presents the TGT to KDC

• KDC issues a service ticket to client

• Client presents service ticket to host server for network resource

• Every domain controller in Active Directory environment holds role of KDC

• Not all clients follow this protocol

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NTLM

• A challenge-response protocol• Used with operating systems running Windows

NT 4.0 or earlier or with Windows 2000 or Server 2003 when necessary

• Protocol followed:• User logs in, client calculates cryptographic hash of

password

• Client sends user name to domain controller

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NTLM (continued)

• Domain controller generates random challenge and sends it to client

• Client encrypts challenge with hash of password and sends to domain controller

• Domain controller calculates expected value to be returned from client and compares to actual value

• After successful authentication, domain controller generates a token for user for network access

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User Profiles

• A collection of settings specific to a particular user• Stored locally by default

• Do not follow user logging on to different computers

• Can create a roaming profile• Does follow user logging on to different computers

• Administrator can create a mandatory profile• User cannot alter it

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User Profile Folders and Contents

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Local Profiles

• New profiles are created from Default User profile folder

• User can change local profile and changes are stored uniquely to that user

• Administrator can manage various elements of profile• Change Type• Delete • Copy To

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Activity 3-2: Testing Local Profile Settings

• Objective is to configure and test a local user profile

• Start Administrative Tools Active Directory Users and Computers Users New User

• Follow directions to create a new user profile• Explore and configure properties • Test by logging in as new user

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Roaming Profiles

• Roaming profiles • Allow a profile to be stored on a central server and

follow the user

• Provide advantage of a single centralized location (helpful for backup)

• Configured from Profiles page of Active Directory Users and Computers

• Changing a profile from local to roaming requires care – should copy first

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Activity 3-3: Configuring and Testing a Roaming Profile

• Objective: To configure and test a roaming user profile

• Create a shared folder, copy a local profile to folder, and configure properties of user account to use roaming folder

• Follow directions in book to create, configure, and test the new roaming profile

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Mandatory Profiles

• Local and roaming profiles allow users to make permanent changes

• Mandatory profiles allow changes only for a single session

• Local and roaming profiles can both be configured as mandatory• ntuser.dat ntuser.man

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Activity 3-4: Configuring a Mandatory Profile

• Objective: To configure and test a mandatory user profile

• Start My Computer • Follow directions to make previously created test

profile mandatory by renaming file• Test that no permanent changes can be made by

user

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Creating and Managing User Accounts

• Standard tool is Active Directory Users and Computers

• Also a number of command line tools and utilities

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Active Directory Users and Computers

• Available from Administrative Tools menu• Can be added to a Microsoft Management Console• Can be run from command line (dsa.msc)• Graphical tool

• Can add, modify, move, delete, search for user accounts

• Can configure multiple objects simultaneously

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Activity 3-5: Creating User Accounts Using Active Directory

Users and Computers

• Objective: Use Active Directory Users and Computers to create user accounts

• Start Administrative Tools Active Directory Users and Computers

• Follow directions to create a number of new user accounts

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User Account Templates

• A user account that is pre-configured with common settings

• Can be copied to create new user accounts with pre-defined settings

• New account is then configured with detailed individual settings

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Activity 3-6: Creating a User Account Template

• Objective: Create a user account template and use the template to create a new user account

• Start Administrative Tools Active Directory Users and Computers

• Create a new user account template• Use a variable that will automatically populate the

profile path with the name of user account• Follow directions to create and explore a new user

account from template

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Command Line Utilities

• Some administrators prefer working from command line

• Can be used to automate creation or management of accounts more flexibly

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DSADD

• Allows object types to be added to directory• Computer accounts, contacts, quotas, OUs, users, etc.

• Syntax for user account is • DSADD USER distinguished-name switches

• Switches include• -pwd (password), -memberof, -email, -profile, -disabled

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Activity 3-7: Creating User Accounts Using DSADD

• Objective: Use the DSADD USER command to create new user accounts

• Start Run• Follow directions to enter DSADD command• Check using Active Directory Computers and

Users• Enter new DSADD command and again check

results

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DSMOD

• Allows object types to be modified from the command line• Computer accounts, users, quotas, OUs, servers, etc.

• Syntax for modifying user account is • DSMOD USER distinguished-name+ switches+

• Can modify multiple accounts simultaneously

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Activity 3-8: Modifying User Accounts Using DSMOD

• Objective is to modify existing user account properties using the DSMOD USER command

• Start Run• Follow directions to enter DSMOD command for

a single user• Check using Active Directory Comp. and Users• Enter new DSMOD command for multiple users• Check results using Active Directory

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DSQUERY

• Allows various object types to be queried from command line

• Supports wildcard (*)• Output can be redirected to another command

(piped)• Example: return all user accounts that have not

changed passwords in 14 days• dsquery user domainroot –name * -stalepwd 14

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DSMOVE• Allows various object types to be moved from

current location to a new location• Allows various object types to be renamed• Only moves within the same domain (otherwise

use MOVETREE)• Example: to move a user account into a marketing

OU• dsmove "cn=Paul Kohut,cn=users,dc=domain01,

dc=dovercorp,dc=net" –newparent "ou=marketing, dc=domain01,dc=dovercorp,dc=net"

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DSRM

• Allows objects to be deleted from directory• Can delete single object or entire subtree• Has a confirm option that can be overridden• Example: to delete the Marketing OU and all its

contained objects without a confirm prompt:• dsrm –subtree –noprompt –c "ou=marketing,

dc=domain01,dc=dovercorp,dc=net "

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Bulk Import and Export

• Allows an organization to import existing stores of data rather than recreating from scratch

• Allows an organization to export data that is already structured in Active Directory to secondary databases

• Two command line utilities for import and export• CSVDE

• LDIFDE

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CSVDE

• Command-line tool to bulk export and import Active Directory data to and from comma-separated value (CSV) files

• CSV files can be created/edited using text-based editors

• Example:• csvde –f output.csv

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LDIFDE

• Command-line tool to bulk export and import Active Directory data to and from LDIF files• LDAP Interchange Format• Industry standard for information in LDAP directories• Each attribute/value on a separate line with blank lines

between objects

• Can be read in text-based editors• Common uses: extending AD schemas, importing

bulk data to populate AD, manipulating user and group objects

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Activity 3-9: Exporting Active Directory Users Using

LDIFDE• Objective is to export Active Directory user

accounts using LDIFDE• Start Run• Follow directions to enter LDIFDE command• Check exported results using Notepad editor

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Troubleshooting User Account and Authentication Issues

• Normally creating and configuring user accounts is straightforward

• Issues do arise related to• Configuration of account

• Policy settings

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Account Policies

• Authentication-related policy settings• Configured in Account Policies node of Group Policy

objects at domain level

• Account lockout, passwords, Kerberos

• Default Domain Policy• Accessed from Active Directory Computers and Users

• Configures policies for all domain users

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Password Policy

• Configuration settings• Password history and reuse

• Maximum password age

• Minimum password age

• Minimum password length

• Complexity requirements

• Encryption policy

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Account Lockout Settings

• Configuration settings• Account lockout duration

• Account lockout threshold

• Reset account lockout counter after

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Kerberos Policy

• Configuration settings• Enforce user logon restrictions

• Maximum lifetime for service ticket

• Maximum lifetime for user ticket

• Maximum lifetime for user ticket renewal

• Maximum tolerance for computer clock synchronization

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Auditing Authentication

• Audit account logon event• Configured in Group Policy object linked to Domain

Controllers OU (Default Domain Controllers Policy)

• Default is to log only successful logons• Event viewable in Security log (use Event Viewer)• Can choose to edit failed logons

• May be helpful for troubleshooting

• Codes provide information about type of failure

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Resolving Logon Issues

• Some common logon issues (and fixes)• Incorrect user name or password (administrative reset)

• Account lockout (manual unlock)

• Account disabled (administrative enable)

• Logon hour restrictions (check account restrictions)

• Workstation restrictions (check account restrictions)

• Domain controllers (check configured DNS settings)

• Client time settings (check client clock synchronization)

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Resolving Logon Issues (continued)

• Down-level client issues (install Active Directory Client Extensions)

• UPN logon issues (check Global Catalog server)• Unable to log on locally (set policy on local

server)• Remote access logon issues (check access on Dial-

up properties)• Terminal services logon issues (check allow logon

to terminal server permission)

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Summary

• A user account is an object stored in Active Directory• Information that defines user and access to network

• Primary tools to create and manage user accounts• Active Directory Users and Computers

• Command line utilities (DSADD, DSMOD, DSQUERY, DSMOVE, DSRM)

• Two main authentication processes• Interactive authentication

• Network authentication

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Summary (continued)

• Two main authentication protocols• Kerberos v5, NTLM

• User profiles used to configure and customize desktop environment• Local, roaming, mandatory

• Utilities for bulk importing and exporting user data to and from Active Directory• LDIFDE and CSVDE