User Management
Overview
There are multiple types of users in MetaDefender Vault:
- Local Users
- External Users
- Active Directory Users
- Guest Users
Local users can be created using the graphical user interface by navigating to Users → Local Users. Using this page administrators can create / enable / disable or delete users at any moment.
External users are accounts meant to be used by clients outside the organization. They have minimal permissions such as uploading and downloading files.
Active Directory users are users imported from your Active Directory server. In order to learn how to enable Active Directory synchronization in MetaDefender Vault please refer to Active Directories.
Guest users are temporary accounts that any user can create. By default, these accounts expire in one hour but the user can choose a different expiration. Please note that guest users do not have a username or password they have only a Guest ID that can be used to login.
Local Users
Administrators can create local users from the user interface without the need to integrate with an Active Directory server. When creating a local user it is also possible to specify a role for that user (user, administrator or read-only administrator).
Administrators can create new accounts by clicking the '+' button , make sure your password is matching the system policy
When creating a new user, administrators may choose between three user types:
- User - regular account with minimal permissions such as uploading, downloading and sharing files.
- Administrator - account with elevated permissions that can change configuration settings.
- Readonly Administrator - account that is able to see all the configured settings in read-only mode without altering any of the current settings.
Administrators have the ability to edit existing local users including the username, password, email and role.
External Users
External account role is designed for sharing files with partner clients or organizations on a long-term basis. This role cannot see internal users and can only share files with its owner.
In contrast with a guest user which is designed for temporary use, this type of account can receive email notifications
Administrators and users can create external user accounts by navigating to the Users → External Users tab and clicking on the Create external user button.
Please make sure that the password matches the system policy and click Continue.
External user accounts may or may not require an expiration date depending on configured settings. Please click Create in order to create the new account.
Once created, external user accounts can be edited, enabled/disabled and deleted.
By clicking on the Edit button, the same dialog used in account creation will appear allowing you to update the account's credentials.
Active Directory Users
Active Directory users are users that have been synchronized from your Active Directory server in MetaDefender Vault so that they can login using the same username and password as the Active Directory username and password. Please note that you cannot edit/ change information for these users in any way.
Guest users
A guest account is a temporary account that has limited access and lifetime. Any user can create a guest account and can share files with this account. A guest user can only upload files to himself or to the owner that created his guest account.
In order to create a guest account, you need to log in and go to Users → Guest
Click on Create Guest button in order to generate a new guest user. You can configure the length of the ID to be between 12 and 255 characters.
Choose the desired expiration date and click Create in order to finalize the operation. Use this page in order to perform any operation like suspending, editing or deleting a guest account.
Login with a guest account
In order to login with a guest account, you need to instruct your guest user to access the login page and use the generated PIN code.
