DSMN Fails to Synchronize Passwords When Password History Is Turned On on NetWare

ID: Q222164

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Services for NetWare version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Users can no longer access NetWare servers managed through Directory Service Manager for NetWare (DSMN) even after their password has been reset.

This problem is very likely to happen with users who forget their password often and the administrators always use the same password when they reset it.

DSMN does not log an event nor display an error message when this happens.

CAUSE

When a user, who exists on Windows NT, forgets the password and asks the administrators to reset it, the administrators can set the password in the domain regardless of the password history. But, if the user's password happens to be in the password history of a NetWare server, DSMN fails to change the password and the user cannot log on to this server with his or her new password.

In your Windows NT domain, you have a password history enabled of at least eight unique passwords as suggested by the Directory Service Manager for NetWare's online Help.

On NetWare servers running under DSMN, you still have password history turned on; for example, because there are still user accounts not managed through Windows NT.

When the new password is sent to the NetWare server, it returns error 0xA0 (PASSWORD_NOT_UNIQUE). DSMN ignores this error code.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or the individual software update. For information on obtaining the latest service pack, please go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/ServicePacks/

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

For information on obtaining the individual software update, contact Microsoft Product Support Services. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbbug4.00
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug