Using Windows Authentication

Challenge:

For customers using SQL Server for their database manager, prior to version 10, each Mainsaver user required an individual SQL login account and a corresponding password. Using Windows authentication, only one SQL account is needed for the Windows group and the Mainsaver login process will authenticate using the current user’s Windows password.

Solution:

• Step 1 – Use an existing Windows domain group or create a dedicated Mainsaver group.
  
  
• Step 2 – With SQL Management Studio, add the Windows group as a login account using Windows authentication with the proper msvr_clerk role access to the Mainsaver database.
  
  
  

  

• Step 3 – Within Mainsaver system admin, make sure all Mainsaver logins match their corresponding Windows login. Use the login renaming tool under System Administration>Maintenance>>Renaming Utility to rename an existing login which does not match.
  
  
• Step 4 – Change the Mainsaver desktop icon to default to Windows Authentication by adding the word ‘WINAUTH’ at the end of the shortcut.
  

Benefit:

Users will not need to remember nor enter a separate Mainsaver login as their Windows password is used to login. IT will not have to maintain separate SQL accounts for each user. As the Windows groups are kept up to date, new users can be added by the Mainsaver administrators without access to SQL. No more forgotten passwords.