information technology central services at the university of michigan
Using WebUniq for Uniqname Administration and Password Resets

S4338 • November 2005

This document is for uniqname administrators. It describes how to use WebUniq on the web to create uniqnames and reset UMICH Kerberos passwords. Use of WebUniq requires prior authorization.

NOTE: This document is also available as a PDF.

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What Is WebUniq?

WebUniq is a web application for allocating new ITCS uniqnames and resetting UMICH Kerberos passwords for people who have forgotten theirs. WebUniq is one part of the move to downgrade the use of Social Security Numbers (SSN) in favor of University Employee IDs (UMIDs) in the uniqname database.

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Who Can Use WebUniq?

Uniqname administrators throughout the University are authorized to use WebUniq to create uniqnames and reset passwords. People who have not been authorized to use WebUniq will not be able to log in. Some people are authorized to both create uniqnames and reset passwords, while others are authorized to reset passwords only.

See All-Password Reset Policies, Procedures, and Agreement (R1135) for how to obtain the necessary authorization to use WebUniq.

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Creating a Uniqname

  1. Use your web browser to go to this web address:
    https://webuniq.www.umich.edu/

  2. Log in with your uniqname and UMICH Kerberos password.

  3. In the Search box, type the UMID of the person for whom you want to create a uniqname. Then click the Search button.

    Screen shot of entering UMID and clicking Search.

  4. The results of your search will be displayed. Check to see that the information is correct.

    Screen shot of the search results.

    5. On the left is information from MAIS's HEPROD database. The person's name and UMID will be displayed. (A fake name is displayed here.) You will also likely see the last four digits of the person's Social Security number (SSN) and the month and day of the person's birthdate. If the UMID is unknown, first check to be sure you entered it correctly. If it is not in the database, you can contact the ITCS Accounts Office for assistance.

    On the right is information from ITCS's UNS database. In this example, there is no uniqname match because the uniqname has not yet been created.

    NOTE: The exact formatting of a person's name may be different in the two systems.

  5. If you are a member of more than one uniqname administrator group, select the appropriate group from the Group menu. Otherwise, just check that the group name (actually a pts group) is correct.

    Screen shot of group name.

  6. To create the uniqname, click the Create uniqname for <UMID> button.

    Screen shot of button to create a uniqname.

  7. Select a uniqname. You can either choose one from the list of suggested options by clicking the appropriate radio button or type one in the User selection box. Then click the Create a uniqname button.

    Screen shot of uniqname selection.

  8. You will see confirmation that the uniqname was created. Please print the confirmation screen.

    Cut off the bottom part, with the user's password, and give it to the user. Encourage the user to change his or her password as soon as possible.

    Have the user sign and date the top part of page, and then send the signed page through campus mail to the ITCS Accounts Office, Michigan Union Lower Level 48109-1308.

    Screen shot of confirmation screen.

Some Notes About Uniqname Creation
If the UMID you enter already has a uniqname associated with it in the ITCS database, this will show up in the search results. In that case, you can just reset the password for the user instead of issuing a new uniqname.

When UMIDs were first introduced, their creation was less regulated than it is now. It is therefore possible that at some time in the past, inaccurate information has managed to get into the ITCS UNS database. (ITCS is fixing errors as they are discovered.) For this reason, you should check that the Name entry for both the HEPROD and UNS panels matches. There may be variations in the way the name is formatted or spelled. Use your judgment to be sure that the information in both databses truly represents the same person before you create the uniqname.

After a uniqname has been created for someone, the ITCS Accounts Office can then set that person up with the Basic Computing Package, assuming the person is eligible to receive it.

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Resetting a UMICH Password

  1. Use your web browser to go to this web address:
    https://webuniq.www.umich.edu/

  2. Log in with your uniqname and UMICH Kerberos password.

  3. In the Search box, type the uniqname of the person for whom you want to reset the password. Then click the Search button.

    Screen shot of entering a uniqname.

  4. Information about the person whose uniqname you provided will be displayed. Select whether you want to choose a password (click the Enter new password for <uniqname> button) or generate one randomly (click the Generate random password for <uniqname> button).

    Screen shot of the two password-generation options.

  5. The screen you will see next will depend on which button you clicked.

    If you clicked Enter new password for <uniqname>:

    1. Have the user type his or her selected password in both the New Password and Retype New Password boxes. Then click the Reset UMICH.EDU password for <uniqname> button.

      Screen shot of entering new password.

    2. UMICH Kerberos passwords must be ones that are not easy to guess. If a selected password does not pass some basic security checks, the user will be asked to select a different one.

      Screen shot of what you see when the password fails security checks.

      For help selecting a good password, see Choosing and Changing a Secure UMICH Password (R1162).

    3. Once a secure password has been entered, you will see confirmation that the password has been reset. Please encourage the user to try the password to be sure that it works.

      Screen shot of password confirmation.

    If you clicked Generate random password for <uniqname>:

    1. You will see confirmation that a random password has been set.

      Screen shot of password confirmation.

    2. Print the screen and give the printout to the user. Please encourage the user to change his or her password as soon as possible.

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Glossary

The history of the various systems that lie behind WebUniq is long and complicated. The result is that the same thing often has multiple names. Here's a short list of some of those:

  • UMID = emplID = entityID (is an 8-digit number)

  • Uniqname = loginID = campusID (is 3-8 alphabetic characters)

  • SSN = NationalID (is usually a 9-digit number; is sometimes 10 digits if a check digit is present)

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Additional Resources

Visit ITCS's Information System to obtain ITCS computer documentation and other resources. A list of relevant documents follows:

We welcome your comments; please send e-mail.

ITCS's Online Help Desk provides a variety of computing help resources.

For further help with WebUniq, contact the ITCS Accounts Office.

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