About setting up and managing users

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About setting up and managing users

User accounts for all users must be added to the Concordance Desktop server in order to have access to the databases created, migrated to, and registered on that Concordance Desktop server. As users are added to the server, they are automatically added to a group named "All Users." The "All Users" group, that includes the user name, field rights and menu access settings of every user added to the server, is automatically applied to a matter named "All User Groups." As databases are created, migrated to, or registered on the Concordance Desktop server, they too are automatically associated with the "All User Groups" matter. It is this set of associations to the "All User Groups" matter that makes it possible for every user to have access to every database on the Concordance Desktop server.

Users can be added to the server using any of the following methods:

One user at a time, under the Management tab in the Admin Console.
This method is used when Concordance Desktop is used for user authentication.

Inserting of multiple users from Active Directory or another external domain.
This method is used when Active Directory or another external domain is used for user authentication.

Users assigned to a Concordance 10.x database that is migrated or registered on the Concordance Desktop server.
During the migration or registration of a Concordance 10.x database, users who were assigned to the database, are carried over and automatically added to the Concordance Desktop server.

Methods for adding and managing users

There are several methods you can use for adding and managing users on a Concordance Desktop server; you can use Concordance Desktop  authentication, Active Directory or another external domain authentication, or by migrating or registering a Concordance 10.x database with Concordance Desktop. How users are added, and how you maintain those users moving forward, depends on the method selected for adding them. The selected method also determines the users' database access rights defaults.

Concordance Desktop Authentication

Users who are added one at a time in the Admin Console automatically receive full rights to all databases. Though user field rights and menu access can be changed in a user's user account. Any restrictions set in a user's user account are applied to all databases associated with the "All User Groups" matter, with the exception of any migrated or registered Concordance 10.x databases that the user may have been assigned. In a migrated or registered Concordance 10.x database, the user's rights assigned to that database in Concordance are carried over and applied only to that database, in Concordance Desktop.

Active Directory or Another External Domain

Users who are added from an external domain automatically receive full rights to all databases. Just like users who are added one at a time in the Admin Console, user field rights and menu access can be changed in a user's user account in the Admin Console. Any restrictions set in a user's user account are applied to all databases associated with the "All User Groups" matter, with the exception of any migrated or registered Concordance 10.x databases that the user may have been assigned. In a migrated or registered Concordance 10.x database, the user's rights assigned to that database in Concordance are carried over and applied only to that database, in Concordance Desktop.

Migrating or Registering a Concordance 10.x Database

Users who are added to the server during the registration of a migrated Concordance 10.x database receive full rights to all Concordance Desktop databases. However, whatever rights were assigned to them in the Concordance 10.x database, are carried forward and applied for that database only. As with users added by the other methods, these users automatically receive full rights to all other databases. And their rights in those other databases can be changed in the Admin Console. However, in order to change their rights on the migrated/registered Concordance 10.x database, you need to user the User Management feature. The User Management feature lets you set rights on a database by database basis. For more information about the User Management feature, see Restricting user access on databases.

Most firms will find that the user access they grant in the Admin Console is sufficient for all databases on the server. However, if your firm requires that specific users be restricted on one or more databases, you can setup each user's general access settings in the Admin Console that will be applied to all databases, and then set user restrictions for the specific database(s) using the User Management feature. For more information about the User Management feature, see Restricting user access on databases.

Consider matching user IDs to a reviewer’s Windows or network ID. You can also reference your staff’s Windows profiles to review what permissions should be granted to different reviewers.

About User Logon names and Passwords

Users of Concordance Desktop are not asked for log on credentials until they actually attempt to open a database. It is only during this attempt that their installation of Concordance Desktop can determine which Concordance Desktop server they need to access the database from. This holds true for administrators as well when they attempt to access the Admin console or create a new database. However, administrators are also asked for the server name and port on their log on screen.

The user name and password a user must use when opening a database, is based on the method used to add and authenticate users on the Concordance Desktop server.

When Concordance Desktop is used for user authentication:  Users are authenticated by their user account on the Concordance Desktop server. Whatever user name their user account is setup with, that is the name they need to use when they open a database on a Concordance Desktop server. Passwords cannot be changed by an administrator on the Concordance Desktop server, but they can be reset so that users are prompted to enter a new password the next time they attempt to open a database.

When an external domain is used for user authentication:  Users are authenticated by the network. Whatever user name and password is setup for them on the network, those same credentials must be used to open a database on a Concordance Desktop server. If using an external domain add and authentication users, the user's network password must be set to "Never expire."

When users are added by migrating or registering a Concordance 10.x database:  Users are authenticated by whichever method (Concordance Desktop or external domain) is used to authenticate the users. Their user names, as set in the database, are carried over and added to the Concordance Desktop server. If Concordance Desktop is the authentication method, they use their Concordance Desktop user name, and are asked to create a password on their first attempt to open a database. If an external domain is used for authentication, they use their network user name and password when they attempt to open a database.

For more information about resetting passwords, see Resetting a user's password.