Use PI users and PI groups

If Windows authentication is not a viable option for you, you can use PI password authentication (explicit logins) to authenticate your users. With this method of authentication, you create user accounts on the Data Archive server and assign each user a PI user name and password to log on. You can create PI groups to group users into meaningful access categories. Using PI password authentication is not as secure as using Windows authentication or PI trusts.

Note: Increasing number of client applications require Windows authentication and PI mappings, and are not viable with PI password authentication.

Configure PI password authentication on the Data Archive server.

1. Identify user access categories.

   Identify the users who need access to the Data Archive server. Understand the types of access they need. For example: who needs permission to create points? Who should be allowed to edit modules? Who will perform Data Archive backups? See Understand how to identify user access categories.

2. Create PI groups:

   On the Data Archive server, create a PI group for each user category. See Create a new PI group.

3. Grant PI access permissions.

   Give each PI groups access to the necessary Data Archive resources. The access permissions specify what tasks each PI group can do on the Data Archive server. See Understand how to configure access permissions.

4. Create Data Archive user accounts.

   Each user who needs access to the Data Archive server should have an associated account. See Create a new PI user. If you allow multiple users to share a single Data Archive account, then you will not have any way to know who made what changes on the Data Archive server.

5. Configure group memberships.

   Add each PI user to the appropriate PI group or groups.

6. Configure access for interfaces.

   Set up mappings for the interfaces that will connect to the Data Archive server. Each mapping is based on a PI user, a PI group, or a PI identity. See Configure PI interface connections using PI trusts.

7. Upgrade administrative client applications.

   If you have existing client computers that will connect to this Data Archive server, upgrade any applications that configure access permissions (Administrative client applications).