BCX Change Password

This [free application] provides the facility to allow non-admin users to change the passwords of other users, for example, allowing teaching staff to change students passwords.

Once configured correctly, it is as simple as typing in the username, and then entering a new password.

Installation Instructions

Please note this tool and these instructions are provided free of charge. They are provided “as is” and come with no warranty, guarantee or support. Burconix Ltd accepts no liability for any damage caused to your network as a result of installing or using this tool.

Create a new folder and extract the download to a shared area on your network, for example: '\\Server\Apps\BCXChangePassword'

Image showing a file share location

When you open the BCX Change Password utility, a security warning may be displayed.

To unblock the application; right click the BCXChangePassword.exe file, select “Properties”, under the “General” tab towards the bottom will be a security warning along with a button marked “Unblock”. Click this and then click OK, the security warning should no longer be displayed.

Image showing a file properties unblock

By default Domain Admins will have rights to change any user password. However you might want to allow certain users to reset passwords for users in certain OU containers.

Delegate Rights for Users

In order to allow non-admin users to use the tool, we need to delegate rights for them. In the following example we will create a security group called 'Reset Student Passwords'. Anyone who is then a member of this group will be able to reset the passwords for the student users.

Note : you could skip the 'Reset Student Passwords' and use an existing 'Group' instead, but for more control we would recommend creating a separate group, and then adding the required members

Logon to a domain controller or admin station and open 'Active Directory Users and Computers'. Right Click on your 'Groups' OU and Create a Security Group called 'Reset Student Passwords'

Image showing create group

Add a user to this group who you want to be able to reset passwords. Select your new group, right click properties. Click the Tab Members, and then Add to add users into the group.

Image showing group add members

Next we need to grant this group the permission to change Student Passwords. Navigate to your Student User Container/or OU and right click and select Delegate Control

Image showing aduc delegate

Next on the Wizard, add your “Reset Student Passwords” group and click next

Image showing aduc delegate wizard

Check “Reset User Passwords and force password change on next logon”, Check "Read all User Properties" and click next.

Image showing aduc delegate wizard tasks

Check the summary and click Finish to confirm changes. If you are wanting to use the advanced "Unlock Account" function (requires a paid licence) follow instructions here to delegate further rights

Cofiguring Tool Settings

From the folder you extracted the download to, open the settings.xml in notepad and configure the following settings as desired:

AllowBlankPW – true or false – Allows a user to set a blank password (clear password)

AllowUserMustChangeOnLogon – true or false – Allows a user to check the user must change password on next logon box

AutoComplete – true or false – Autocomplete the username as the user starts to type

AllowLookup – true or false – Displays the Lookup button to search for username by surname, forename

ConfirmDisplayName – true or false – Gets the display name from the user object and asks user to confirm it is correct, before completing the password change. (E.g. where username is number)

AutoCompleteLDAPPath – RootDomain or LDAP Path – If configured sets the auto complete to only autocomplete usernames from a specific root OU, e.g. Students, and example would be LDAP://OU=Students,OU=Users,OU=Curric,DC=domain,DC=local

ForceDNSDomain – Default or DNSDomain – If set to domain.local it forces the tool to use that domain in a multi-domain environment. If Default it will use the default domain detected.

Save the settings.xml file

If you require alternative settings for different users, you can create multiple .xml’s containing your required settings, and reference them from the shortcut using the customxml switch as below.

BCXChangePassword.exe customxml students.xml

Deploy the Tool

Before you Deploy the Tool, check that your users have access to run the exe from your extract location. Go to '\\Server\Apps\BCXChangePassword', right click on the directory, Properties and click Security. “Reset Student Passwords” need Read and Execute, then inherited System and Administrators Full Control.

Note that standard users should not have modify/delete access to this location as they could modify the settings we have just configured. Click Edit to change permissions.

Image showing properties security reset students password group permissions

Now make a shortcut available to your users either on the desktop/start menu. Or alternately create a shortcut from a shared area.

Shortcut to: \\server\Apps\BCXChangePassword\BCXChangePassword.exe

Image showing create shortcut

Installation Complete

Additional Features

The additional features below require a paid for Licence to unlock

Password Audit

Note – These instructions assume that the BCX Change Password Tool is installed and working on your system.

This program generates an audit log of the usage of the BCX Change Password Tool, and can be installed on any member server (2003/2003R2/2008/2008R2/2012) in the domain. We recommend using the server that BCX Change Password is installed on.

Please note if you use the Window’s firewall on the server please enable inbound traffic on port 9054 on all profiles.

Within C:\Program Files\ create a BCX folder (if it doesn’t already exist) and within that create a folder called ChangePasswordAudit. Please use the same folder path for 32 bit or 64 bit operating systems.

Image showing create folder

So the path of this folder is C:\Program Files\BCX\ChangePasswordAudit\ Into this folder copy all the files from the zip file.

Image showing folder contents

In the folder C:\Program Files\BCX\ChangePasswordAudit, Run the Setup – Install.cmd (you may receive a security warning, press run). At the prompt press any key. On completion the following lines should now be displayed.

Image showing install complete window

Pressing any key will close the window. When prompted click Yes to start the service in debug mode. The debug window will display a few lines of text as the service starts up, the word “Ready” should be displayed at the bottom. This window can now be closed, press Yes when prompted to restart the service in Normal mode to complete the install.

To configure BCX Change Password Audit, open the location of the BCXChangePassword.exe, (This could be something like \\Server\Apps\BCXChangePassword\). Right Click the settings.xml file and choose Edit

Image showing location of settings rc edit

Scroll down through the file until you find the following lines: - In here copy and paste your licence you received from Burconix Ltd.

Image showing settings license entry

Next scroll down through the file until you find the following lines: - In here type the NetBIOS name of the server you installed the audit software on.

Image showing settings license entry

Once this is done all logs will be stored within the C:\Program Files\BCX\ChangePasswordAudit\LogData in both txt and csv format.

Image showing log data location

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