Allowing staff to change kids passwords

[Simcfc73]

As the title says.

 

We use Interjigsaw now which has a supervisor console which allows the staff to change kids passwords and browse their home folders in a nice console.

 

As I am ripping it out I just wondered if others allow staff to change passwords. I thought about delegating them the right to do it and install a MMC with active directory users and computers on selected computers.

 

Anyone else do it?

[ChrisH]

I would be more inclined to write a script for it. I am going to write a HTA with a simple interface where the person selects from a drop down box the year then a list can be populated with that year groups names for selection.

[ajbritton]

There's always Password Control

[mac_shinobi]

Here at kingswood my NM delegated the staff members to only allow them to change kids passwords and not other staff(s) passwords for obvious reasons and then we are using the password util from http://www.wisesoft.co.uk.

 

You have to register ( but registration is fast and simple as well as free obviously )

 

That is one of the edugeek members website ( cant remember his id off hand )

 

Anyway very good site and utils imo

[plexer]

There's always self service password reset to allow the kids to do it themselves.

 

http://www.edugeek.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=2059

 

Ben

[wesleyw]

I wrote a program a while back in VB 6 I think that would do that. I'll find the code for you and send it on if you like? Will needs a little modification domain name user password groups etc.. but will do the job well!

 

If I remember right it also logs the changes in a text file or DB but I haven't looked at it for a while now lol

 

Wes

[webman]

There's a free Pass Manager application from MST Software.

[tarquel]

so who wants to test them all and report on the best one?

 

EDIT: With the problem here of staff leaving themselves logged in, I also would expect a good util to require the member of staff to log in to the tool...

 

[so a kid couldn't just come along and change other pupils passwords etc in those situations where the staff member has left themselves logged in]

 

...and then choose the pupil etc and change/reset the password.

 

Nath

[ChrisH]

so who wants to test them all and report on the best one?

 

EDIT: With the problem here of staff leaving themselves logged in, I also would expect a good util to require the member of staff to log in to the tool...

 

[so a kid couldn't just come along and change other pupils passwords etc in those situations where the staff member has left themselves logged in]

 

...and then choose the pupil etc and change/reset the password.

 

Nath

 

Well volunteered Nath

[wesleyw]

My code has a basic login added to the front since this happened when I first let the teachers use it lol!

 

It could be modified to auth against an NT box.

 

Wes

[Simcfc73]

I like the wisesoft password control utility. Making the folder read only still allows it to work. Like the password box too.

 

Don't like the passmanager one. No 'are you sure you want to do this' dialog box and I ended up resetting a password. Also couldn't get the ignore list to work and now none of it works.

 

My idea of using delegation is crap and overly complicated. I could have used the 'open home page' command to link to their home folders via web folders but the teachers will all get lost.

[OverWorked]

I've been wanting to allow this for a while, so I've been following this thread.

 

With these applications, is it possile to limit the users they can reset? We need to restrict them to resetting pupils passwords, not other staff's, or, even worse, admin!

[Irazmus]

I can't comment on the others, but the admin side of Self Service Password Reset can be restricted to a specific AD group (Ie, Students) for teachers while admins can reset anyone.

[Quackers]

You do not need any of these software password managers. Windows comes with the stuff for a password manager for teachers. This is what i have on my Vanilla Windows 2003 Network with no extra software bits. (See attached photo) The tools come with Windows Server, i do not know why others are not using them.

[Jake]

Whereabouts did you install that from? I dont see it on the standard install

[GrumbleDook]

Because we are not allowed to ask staff to do admin tasks ...

 

Some schools are stronger on this than others.

[Jake]

Are you sure that password manager isnt a third party piece of software? I have checked our windows 2003 servers and cant find any mention of a built in Password Manager.

 

The way the screenshot has sections for "pupils documents" and "printer credits" smacks a little of a seperate piece of software or plugin too.

 

Course..I could just be being blind and not seeing it though

[Disease]

Password manger, Printer Credit , Pupils Documents, Supervisor tools?

 

These options sound to me like you have far from a vanilla 2003 server install. Did you install the server yourself, or was it installed by an outside company.

 

Sure you are not using Microsoft Learning Network Manager, in which case it is far from Vanilla.

 

Why would MS have a tool called Pupils Files?

[Quackers]

I had to make it using the tools microsoft provide with Windows, took less than 5 minutes to make.

 

All you have to do is make sure the 2003 Server Admin tools package is on each workstation (MS do an MSI package that goes out via group policy), then click start, run, type in MMC.

 

That should give you a blank Microsoft Managment Console. Then add in the Active Directory Users and Computers plug in.

 

Once that is done click on your root pupils organisational unit and click "open new window from here" So Teachers only see what they need to.

 

Then on your new window, right click the root organtisation unit for the pupils and click "New taskpad view"

 

Now select horizontal list and style as text click, next and next until that wizard ends and a new one starts. Now you want a menu command, if you select a user account on the left, the menu commands appear for that object on the right, so select change password, give it a name and some text and an icon.

 

Now you will notice when you select a user the "Change Password" task appears in the task pain on the bottom . Now just click file options, give it a nice icon and a nice name, and bang you have fancy looking password manager for teachers. You can do what i did and add extra shell commands in too.

 

 

O, forget you need to delegate allow changing of passwords to the staff group!

[Jake]

Oh ! yeah..we made one with mmc, just thought that when you said that there was one already there , it was there as a prebuilt utility rather than something that could be created

[Disease]

So it does not come with Vanilla 2003 if you have to create it, your post made out that people were noobs for not using what comes ready made with windows.

 

At Least thats the way I read you post.

[Quackers]

Oh ! yeah..we made one with mmc, just thought that when you said that there was one already there , it was there as a prebuilt utility rather than something that could be created

 

Well the utility is there really, just needs customising.

[Disease]

If however you said it's simple to do using MMC's and password delegation in AD then that would have been fine.

[Jake]

 

Well the utility is there really, just needs customising.

 

I guess so, but I am lazy and prefer to just spend 30 secs downloading a prebuilt utility

[ajbritton]

Cool. I never played with Taskpads before. Now I have AD Users & Computers with built in RDP and VNC shortcuts! Nice one Quackers!