Teachers resetting pupil passwords

[Andie]

Will this get more and more complex in the medium term I wonder? Im wondering how people syncronise local accounts username / password with remote accounts (username / password) if there is e.g. local AD/email and LEA VLE? Anyone coming across the need to authorise access to remote resources (e.g. Premium content provider, secure access to school resources from home, etc. ) Anyone looking at a second way to secure accounts e.g. USB key. Anyone looking at account/settings transferability from school to school?

 

I hope someone looks into this soon, although I know some secondaries/colleges already have VLEs. The same set of questions are making for sleepless nights. We are a junior school, so not sure what will happen about account transfer from infants, for example. I am hoping that someone in the LEA is going to be able to shed some light on how the whole new setup is supposed to operate (meeting coming up in June).

[Geoff]

Will this get more and more complex in the medium term I wonder? Im wondering how people syncronise local accounts username / password with remote accounts (username / password) if there is e.g. local AD/email and LEA VLE? Anyone coming across the need to authorise access to remote resources (e.g. Premium content provider, secure access to school resources from home, etc. ) Anyone looking at a second way to secure accounts e.g. USB key. Anyone looking at account/settings transferability from school to school?

 

To answer your questions:

 

a) I expect so. Complexity makes fools of us all.

b) We don't have to. Our VLE (Moodle) is sitting on our local network. So it has access to the same authentication information as everything else.

c) Moodle can deal with this in several ways. The authentication sytem is a 'plugin' model. Most of the default plugins cope with any reasonably standard situation. Else ways, you are free to write you own. As Moodle is open source. Secondly, local moodle users can 'roam' to a remote moodle installation using their local credentials (and it'll still make sense) with 1.8. It's a new feature, and it's really cool. I suggest everyone gives it the once over.

d) As for two factor authentication, I'd lean towards smart cards. They've been proven to work in other similar scenarios (indeed I think Ric, for example, uses them for registration purposes). So I expect they could be integrated (with some pain).

[vbala]

Hi,

 

You can make use of a Password Manager to effectively manage your passwords. Lot of free tools and low-cost commercial tools are available. Using such a tool would prove very productive. Just to a Google search for Password Manager and you will see the options.

 

Bala

[OutLawTorn]

We have an asp based application on our intranet that ties in with AD and lets you reset student passwords. As it also connects to the print charging software, it automatically deducts 'x' amount from the student's print balance each time their password is reset (they get the first 'y' number of resets free, then it charges them after that).

[boomam]

Your best option and cheapest is to install the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 admin tools onto all workstations, which is an msi you can download. Then using the Microsoft Managment Console, add the Users and Computers snap in, then create a custom tasks view, and save it. Put a shortcut to it on your staff desktops, and also give deligation for staff to reset passwords permission the root OU of the pupil user accounts.

 

I've attched a screen shot of the password manager i created using this process. Only takes 5 minutes max to create.

How have you attached the OU view to the custom MMC?

I created a custom MMC myself, but i cant get the view you have on the left without the entire AD showing.

 

Plus, is there a way i can stop the user pressing backspace too many times to get access to the rest of AD?

[boomam]

We have an asp based application on our intranet that ties in with AD and lets you reset student passwords. As it also connects to the print charging software, it automatically deducts 'x' amount from the student's print balance each time their password is reset (they get the first 'y' number of resets free, then it charges them after that).

What software is it that you've used to do that then?

[OverWorked]

How have you attached the OU view to the custom MMC?

I created a custom MMC myself, but i cant get the view you have on the left without the entire AD showing.

 

Plus, is there a way i can stop the user pressing backspace too many times to get access to the rest of AD?

 

The jolly nice people at our LEA ICT Services have produced a guide for making an MMC snap in. I use it and it works.

[elsiegee40]

This is a rather handy guide. Thank you OverWorked. Edited January 10, 2008 by elsiegee40

[Ray]

I like the idea of staff changing the passwords obviously due to the time it takes in a day. Some days its like a spreading disease and half a class comes down for a 'walk'. For that alone it would be usefull and all of a sudden the kids would suddenly remember their passwords when they realise they cant stretch their legs.

Some staff just want to get their hands on more network control especially ICT staff.

We have a new member of staff in class support who has taken admin role to a point and has picked things up very well but she cannot be around all the time. Now we have VLE passwords to deal with to. I suppose the Jurys out on what we will do but i am also against the staff doing this out of principal.... after all its part of my job.

[shirzay]

Hi

I have installed password control for the ICT teachers to enable them to change student passwords. but unfortunately they can access staff usernames too and can change thier passwords, I would like to only give them access to students u

ser accounts not staff how do i acheive this. Please let me know

 

Thanks

[Wiseman82]

Hi

I have installed password control for the ICT teachers to enable them to change student passwords. but unfortunately they can access staff usernames too and can change thier passwords, I would like to only give them access to students u

ser accounts not staff how do i acheive this. Please let me know

 

Thanks

 

Please check the section on security

 

I advise you use delegation as described above but there is also another alternative.

 

Also, note that Password Control does not bypass any domain security. If a user can do something in Passsword Control they can also do it with a script or another app. This is why it is best to use delegation.