RAS and SFM Passwords Are Not Case Sensitive

• Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1

SYMPTOMS

Windows NT Remote Access Service (RAS) and Services for Macintosh (SFM) passwords are not case sensitive.

CAUSE

RAS and SFM do not use the Windows NT password authentication scheme. Instead, these services use the same password authentication model that is used by Microsoft LAN Manager. Unlike Windows NT passwords, LAN Manager passwords are not case sensitive. Therefore, SFM and RAS client passwords ignore case.

Windows NT stores both a LAN Manager and Windows NT version of your password in its Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database. RAS and SFM both have the option to use Windows NT or LAN Manager password authentication. In Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1, they always choose LAN Manager password authentication even when connecting to another Windows NT computer.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on user authentication in Windows NT, how passwords are stored, RAS password authentication, and the differences between LAN Manager and Windows NT, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   authentication lan