The Login Sequence

Most of the connection methods discussed above except that for the directly connected terminal will automatically begin the login process when the connection is made. If nothing happens, press ENTER or RETURN to begin the login.

Note 

Some OpenVMS systems have a system password enabled. This is a rarely used, extra security feature. Such systems require you to type a password, which will not be displayed, even before presenting you with a Username: prompt. You will have no indication that anything at all is happening until the system password is accepted. Consult your system manager to determine whether this feature is enabled.

At this point the system may or may not display a message indicating the identity of the system, its name, the version of OpenVMS it is running, or any other message the system manager has defined. Many system managers use this feature to alert the user community of important events, such as a scheduled system downtime. Others choose to display a stern warning against unauthorized attempts to access the system.

The system will then ask you for your username and password. The username and password are not case-sensitive; you may type them in any combination of upper and lower-case letters you wish. Older versions of OpenVMS will display your username in upper case, regardless of how you type it, whereas newer ones will display it exactly as you enter it. While you type your password, it will not be displayed. [1]

Note 

Your system manager can configure your account to require two passwords. This is done infrequently, and this book assumes each account has one password. Your system manager will notify you if your account is to have two passwords.

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Login Failures

If you enter your username or password incorrectly, or if your account has been disabled for some reason, the message "User authorization failure" will be displayed. This message is intentionally ambiguous to prevent giving any hints to someone who may be trying to break into the system.

After some number of failures, usually three to five, your account will be temporarily disabled. While your account is disabled, even entering the proper password will not work. This is a security feature intended to prevent break-ins from malicious users trying many possible passwords.

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Once your username and password have been accepted, the system may or may not display a welcome message, as defined by the system manager. If present, this message will typically display a banner welcoming you to the OpenVMS system. OpenVMS then shows the date and time of your last interactive and noninteractive logins. If you have any new mail messages waiting, you will be notified. [2] If the system has recorded any login failures from your account since last time you logged in, you will be notified. This is a security feature intended to alert you to someone trying to guess your password or use your account to break into the system. Figure 5-2 shows a typical login sequence.

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      This system is for the use of authorized personnel only. (1)      All other access strictly prohibited.     Username: MIKE (2)      Password:       (3)      Welcome to OpenVMS (TM) VAX Operating System, Version V7.3 on node ABBY (4)         Last interactive login on Friday,  1-NOV-2002 16:51      (5)         Last non-interactive login on Friday,  1-NOV-2002 17:19  (6)             1 failure since last successful login    (7)                 You have 1 new Mail message.  (8)      $  (9) 

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Figure 5-2: A Login Sequence

The points of interest in the Figure 5-2 are as follows:

  1. The system announcement message. This is shown before you log into the system and can be any message the system manager wishes.

  2. The username prompt. Enter your username here—in this case, MIKE. Older versions of OpenVMS may display the username in all upper case letters, but newer versions display in the same manner that you type it. The username itself is not case-sensitive; enter it in any case you wish.

  3. The password prompt. Enter your password here. For security reasons, the password will not be displayed as you type it. Should you make a typing error, BACKSPACE will work, even though you cannot see it, or you may use CTRL/U to delete the entire password and begin again. The password is not case-sensitive; enter it in any mixture of upper and lower case letters.

  4. The system welcome message. In this example, the default message is shown, but the system manager may change it at will.

  5. Last interactive login notification. This displays the time of your last interactive login. This is a security feature that can alert you to the fact that someone else has used your account, perhaps by stealing your password. Few users examine this message carefully, but it can help alert you to potential security problems. If you see a login reported for which you know you are not responsible, notify your system manager.

  6. Last noninteractive login notification. This is similar to (5), but it notifies you of logins other than interactive ones—for example, batch jobs submitted from your account.

  7. Previous login failure notification. This is a security feature that alerts you to unsuccessful attempts to log in to your account. Each incorrect password causes this number to increase. At the next successful login, the number of previous failures is shown here. If login failures are reported for which you know you are not responsible, notify your system manager. This message will be shown only at the next successful login and will then be reset.

  8. New mail notification. If you have any waiting mail messages, you will be notified here. This message can be suppressed by the system manager; typically, it would be disabled for users who use POP3 or something similar to access their mail (see Chapter 12, "E-mail").

  9. The system prompt. The dollar sign ($) is the normal OpenVMS DCL prompt that indicates that the DCL CLI is waiting for a command. This prompt may be changed via the SET PROMPT command, if you wish.

Once your username and password are accepted, OpenVMS creates an interactive process for you. This process automatically executes SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGIN.COM and SYS$LOGIN:LOGIN.COM before presenting you with the DCL prompt.

SYLOGIN.COM is a systemwide command procedure automatically executed for every user on the system. Its contents are determined by the system manager, and it includes commands relevant to all system users.

LOGIN.COM is your personal login command procedure, located in your home directory. You may use it to customize your OpenVMS environment. LOGIN.COM is described in Chapter 7, "The User Environment."

[1]If your terminal has the LOCAL ECHO characteristic turned on, the terminal itself will display your password, and OpenVMS will not be able to prevent it from happening. The vast majority of OpenVMS sites do not use LOCAL ECHO, and you may assume that your site is the same unless you are told otherwise.

[2]The system manager can disable new mail notifications. This is helpful in cases where the user might retrieve his or her mail some other way, such as through a POP3 client.



Getting Started with OpenVMS(c) A Guide for New Users
Getting Started with OpenVMS: A Guide for New Users (HP Technologies)
ISBN: 1555582796
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 215

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