Credentials Preferences Page

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Credentials Preferences Page

The Credentials page allows you to manage the administrator credentials used for deployments and schedules. PDQ Deploy can store multiple sets of credentials that can be used for different deployments and schedules.

IMPORTANT: PDQ Deploy can use only one set of credentials for each deployment; therefore, you must create separate deployments for targets that require different credentials.

NOTE: Admin Arsenal encrypts all sensitive information (passwords) when they are stored in the PDQ Deploy database. We use industry standard AES encryption with three separate keys to keep your data safe. One key is built into the application, one key is stored in the database, and the third is stored in the registry. These last two keys are generated when the application is installed and are unique to your system.

To access the Credentials settings page, click File > Preferences (or press Ctrl+Comma) and select Credentials in the Preferences window.

Options

Description

Edit Credentials

Click Edit Credentials to edit an existing credential.

Add Credentials

Click Add Credentials to add a new set of administrator credentials that PDQ Deploy may use for deployments and schedules.

Credential definitions include the administrator domain, username, and password. You may optionally provide a description to help you identify the credentials.

Note: PDQ Deploy can use both local and domain administrator accounts. Credentials are considered to be local if they have no domain or if they have a domain that starts with a period (.). When local administrator credentials are used, the target computer name is added to the user name.

For a demonstration of managing credentials in PDQ Deploy, see the following video.

VIDEO: Adding and Using Multiple Credentials in PDQ Deploy

 

(http://www.adminarsenal.com/videos#!adding-and-using-multiple-credentials-in-pdq-deploy)

 

Test Credentials

Click Test Credentials in the Add Credentials dialog to validate the current username and password.

If the username and password belong to a local account, PDQ Deploy asks you to provide a computer name on which to test the credentials.

If the account is in the same domain as the currently logged on user or it is in a domain to which the currently logged on user has administrative rights, PDQ Deploy validates the username and password in Active Directory.

If the account is in a domain that isn’t accessible from the computer where PDQ Deploy is running or if the credentials belong to a local administrator account on another computer, you are prompted for the name of the computer to use to verify the username and password.

IMPORTANT: The Test Credentials option tests only the username and password. It does not verify the user account has administrator privileges.

Set Default

Designates the selected account as the default set of credentials.

The default credentials are used for schedules and deployments when no other credentials are specified.

Remove Credentials

Click Remove Credentials to remove the selected user name from the PDQ Deploy Credentials list.

NOTE: The default credentials cannot be removed. You must first designate another set of credentials as the default. If there is only one credentials set, it cannot be deleted.

Run Packages As

Sets the global default for how deployments are executed on target computers.

This global setting can be overwritten at the Step, Package, and Schedule levels.

For a sample demonstration of the Run As options, see the following video.

VIDEO: Deployment Run As Options

 

(http://www.adminarsenal.com/videos#!deployment-run-as-options)

 

Deploy User

Executes deployments on target computers in a non-interactive session as the Deploy User.

This setting is appropriate for the vast majority of deployments. Consequently, this is the recommended setting for Preferences.

Deploy User (Interactive)

Executes deployments that include both silent and interactive steps. This setting is the same as Deploy User with one important exception—the Windows process running the deployment is run in an interactive session.

This setting is most appropriately used for individual deployments that require user input, but the overall process still requires Administrator rights that logged on users may not have. Because these types of deployments are more specialized and because running the deployment in interactive mode requires more processing resources, it is recommended that you apply this setting only as needed at the Package or Step level.

IMPORTANT: This feature is available only in Pro or Enterprise mode.

Local System

Executes deployments using the Local System account on the target computer. PDQ Deploy connects to the target computer using the Deploy User credentials, copies the specified files, creates the PDQDeployRunner service, then instructs the service to log on as Local System.

This setting is used only for installations that require Local System. These types of deployments are very rare. Consequently, it is recommended that you apply this setting only as needed at the Package or Step level.

IMPORTANT: Deployments, Packages, or Steps that run as Local System are not able to access network resources.

Logged on User

Attempts to run packages in interactive mode as the Logged On User of the target machine.

This setting is used to deploy applications that are installed per user or when the Logged on User needs to provide information for the deployment to succeed such as a license key. It can also be used to modify the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hive for the Logged on User or to access user-specific settings such as %APPDATA% or the Logged on User’s user directory. These types of deployments are highly specialized. Consequently, it is recommended that you apply this setting only as needed at the Package or Step level.

IMPORTANT: This feature is available only in Pro or Enterprise mode.

 

 

 

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Help Version: 12.1.0.0