Re: Vary On Sessions

[Dr Syd Nicholson <sydnic@xxxxxxxxxx>]

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Hector Sanchez wrote:

>*This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
>I am relatively new to the AS400.  I have working here about 1 year and have 
>learned a lot.  Our help desk gets many calls to vary on sessions for 
>individuals.  As a matter of fact, it is the number one reason by far, that 
>employees call the help desk for.  We would like to reduce that number.  Why 
>do terminals/PCs get varied off to begin with?  And is there a way to reduce 
>or eliminate the number of vary offs?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>

Hi Hector,

The system will automatically vary off a workstation if there have been
too many contiguous invalid sign on attempts. The default number of
invalid sign on attempts allowed is 3. This value is set in system value
QMAXSIGN.

This is a security feature that helps prevent your workstations being
hacked by people who are searching for userID/password combinations by
trial and error.

It is likely that your users have forgotten their passwords, and keep
trying to sign on until the system stops them. However, it could also be
a sign that people are trying to hack into your system. If your
workstations are in locations where many people can have access to them
then this is a possibility.

There are also many other security considerations if several people
could potentially gain access to a workstation. If the work station is
already signed on, and the user is away from the desk, somebody else
could gain access to the system. If the workstation is a PC with CA/400
installed, other features such as remote command, file transfer, FTP,
etc, will be possible.

I don't recommend that you change QMAXSIGN to a higher value in an
attempt to reduce the number of varied off workstations. This will only
make your more vulnerable.

If it is a lot of hassle dealing with user requests on an ad-hoc basis,
one possibility it would be to to go through the list of varied off
devices once a day (say first thing in the morning) and vary them on.
Hopefully this will reduce the number of interruptions you receive.
Perhaps this can be done programmatically.

I would recommend that you try to find out why work stations are
continually being varied off.

Syd Nicholson
Castlehill Computer Services Ltd.