# Installation Guide

### Password validation

Note:
  Although VisualAge Smalltalk supports password checking through EMSRV, it should not be considered a highly secure system. The password checking is provided mainly as a convenience to maintain an audit trail of changes to library content.

VisualAge Smalltalk supports three levels of client validation. These levels consist of the following:

- No validation. This is the default. It allows users to switch to other users within the VisualAge Smalltalk environment at will.
- Specify VisualAge Smalltalk user IDs and passwords for all users of VisualAge Smalltalk. This option requires the maintenance of a `passwd.dat` file, plus the use of the `-rp` option when starting EMSRV.
- Use the native operating system user names and passwords for all users of VisualAge Smalltalk. This option requires the use of the `-rn` option when loading EMSRV and no maintenance of a `passwd.dat` file.

#### Using a passwd.dat file

If you intend to maintain VisualAge Smalltalk user IDs on your site, you must create and maintain a `passwd.dat` file in the working directory.

This file contains the logon user IDs of all users and their respective passwords for VisualAge Smalltalk. The VisualAge Smalltalk passwords should not be the users' actual logon passwords. The format of the file is one user ID and password per line, with the user ID first, followed by a single space and the password.

Note:
  The `passwd.dat` file should have its access rights restricted so it cannot be read or written by regular VisualAge Smalltalk users.

The following shows an example of a `passwd.dat` file:

    fred mypassword
    barney secret
    wilma hello
    betty ZXF6

#### Connecting client to server when EMSRV uses native passwords

When setting up a repository, you will be prompted for a supervisor password. As the system is installed off the CD, there is a single user defined, the Library Supervisor. You must specify the Library Supervisor's password when connecting the client to the server for the first time.

If you are using `passwd.dat` checking, you can look in that file to locate the Library Supervisor's password. If there is not a password specified, you may at this point add one.

If you are using network password authentication, your domain controller will need to have 'supervis' (the network name of Library Supervisor) defined as a valid user.

If you want to use native password authentication but do not want to define a network userid of 'supervis', then you should perform the following steps:

1. Start EMSRV with password authentication disabled.
2. Start a client image. Select Tools >Users>Modify to change the Network Name of the Library Supervisor to a userid that is already defined on your network.
3. Exit from the client image.
4. Stop EMSRV.
5. Start EMSRV with native password authentication (`-rn`).

[ Top of Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Table of Contents | Index ]