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Setting up strong sign in passwords

PowerSchool SMS provides the option to set up and manage strong passwords for the users in your district.

When server settings and email addresses have been set up, you can have PowerSchool SMS automatically generate a password and send it to a user (e.g., a new user or an existing user who has been locked out) through email. When the user signs in to PowerSchool SMS for the first time, he or she is prompted to change this password.

As a password gets close to expiry, PowerSchool SMS presents a message informing the user of the number of days left before his or her password expires, and requesting a new password. The message is displayed each time the user signs in until the password is changed. When the number of days left until expiry is zero, PowerSchool SMS presents the user with the password change page.

Note: If your district uses Active directory, you cannot use the password functionality in PowerSchool SMS.

Password Complexity

A PowerSchool SMS password must consist of six or more characters in the following combination:

To achieve this complexity, you must configure the following password settings:

PowerSchool SMS rejects a password when one of the following occurs:

System Lockout

When you set up strong passwords, you must specify the number of unsuccessful sign in attempts after which the user will be unable to sign in. When a user reaches the specified number of consecutive unsuccessful sign in attempts, he or she is locked out of PowerSchool SMS. After the final failed attempt, a message appears indicating the account is now locked and the district administrator must be notified.

When unlocking a user account, the district administrator provides the user with a new default password. When a user whose account was unlocked by the district administrator signs in to the application for the first time, PowerSchool SMS requires the user to change the password provided by the district administrator.

Setting up password complexity and system lockout:You can do this if your role is District Administrator.[DA]

1

In the Admin menu, click District Setup. The District Setup page appears.

2

Under Users and Security, click Password Settings. The Password Settings page appears.

3

Under Strong Password Settings, select Enable strong password and enter the information, which includes:

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Minimum password length: The number of characters the password must contain. Password length must be between 6 and 52.

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Maximum number of repeating characters: The maximum number of repeating characters the password can contain. Maximum number of repeating characters must be between 3 and 10.

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Minimum number of special characters: The minimum number of special characters the password can contain. Minimum number of special characters must be between 1 and 10.

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Password reuse count: The number of times before a password can be reused. The reuse count must be between 5 and 100.

4

Under System Lock-out Settings, select Enable system lock-out and enter the information, which includes:

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Password expires after: The number of days after which a password expires. When the password expires, the user account is locked. The number of days before expiration must be between 7 and 180.

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Logon attempts before lockout: The number of sign in attempts before a user account is locked. The number of sign in attempts must be between 3 and 100.

5

Under Password Email Settings, enter the information, which includes:

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SMTP server address: The address of the server that manages email.

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SMTP server port: The port number of the server that manages email.

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Sender: The email address of the district administrator who configures email settings.

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Subject: The subject line for the email message that will be sent to the user. The default subject line is Important! Your User ID and Password.

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Body: The content of the email message that will be sent to the user. The default content is: Welcome to PowerSchool SMS <FIRST_NAME>! A user account has been set up for you. Please click http://localhost/powerschoolsms to sign in. Your logon information is: - User ID: <USER_ID> - Password: <PASSWORD> Both user ID and password are case sensitive. You are required to change your password when you log on for the first time. Regards, PowerSchool SMS System Administrator

6

Click OK.

Generating a password:You can do this if your role is District Administrator.[DA]

1

In the Admin menu, click District Setup. The District Setup page appears.

2

Under Users and Security, click Accounts. The Accounts page appears.

3

Search for and select the user and click Edit. The Edit User page appears.

4

Under General, verify the user information:

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Last name

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First name

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User ID

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Email

5

Click Generate Password.

6

Click OK.

A password is automatically generated and sent in an email to the user.

Activating a user account

While you set up a new user, or when a user is locked out of the system, the user’s account is deactivated on the Accounts page. Use the activate functionality to activate or re-activate an account and send the user a new password.

To activate an account:You can do this if your role is District Administrator.[DA]

1

In the Admin menu, click District Setup. The District Setup page appears.

2

Under Users and Security, click Accounts. The Accounts page appears.

3

Search for and select the user and click Edit. The Edit User page appears.

4

Under General, verify the user information:

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Last name

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First name

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User ID

=

Email

5

Click Activate.

6

Click OK.

A password is automatically generated and sent in an email to the user.

www.powerschool.com
Tel: 866-434-6276
Email: smssupport@powerschool.com

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