Issue
How to use a domain user instead of IONUser to handle PME report subscriptions

A practical scenario is when you are having the issue described in FA384606. You have implemented Method 1, but still you see an error when clicking on Add Subscription in PME Web Application-->Reports --> Manage subscriptions

"An unexpected error has occurred. Your request cannot be processed at this time. If the problem persists, contact the Webpage administrator".
An error will appear in the System Event log in the Management Console: Could Not Authenticate

Product Line
Power Monitoring Expert 2020
Power Monitoring Expert 9.x
Power Monitoring Expert 8.x

Cause
Due to IT policies, Local users may not be allowed to log on, or may not have access to write to certain folders, even after following the resolution in FA384606, the GPO might not allow IONUser to logon locally.
You may also get the following error in the Security Windows Event Logs:

"Failure Reason: The user Has not been Granted The requested Logon type at this machine."

You will need to use a Windows domain account for the Report subscriptions.

Resolution

IONUser - Used to save reports subscriptions to a local file share. Must be updated in 2 places; Windows users, and in the ION_Network.cfg_ItemValue table.

It is possible to remove the IONUser local account and use a domain account instead for the reports subscriptions.
The password is not saved in the database, as it is a Windows account, as such, Windows will take care of the authentication.
This means that the configured domain user will have to be logged into the windows session for the "saving/uploading reports" functions to work.

*Warning: Take backups of any files prior to modifying them. Ensure the backups are in a location that will not be overwritten (i.e. the Desktop).
*Warning: This article contains information about editing the registry. Improper changes to the registry can permanently damage the operating system. Always backup the registry before making any changes.*

To swap out the IONUser account, make the following change in the [ION_Network].[dbo].[CFG_ItemValue] table changing the value fields as below. Substitute the IONUser with the domain user account name (2 places) and in the fields right below enter the domain.

After changing the username, you will need to Reset the PME Windows accounts password by running the Reset accounts option in the PME installer.
The steps are described below:
1) Open Control Panel
2) Select "Uninstall Program" or "Programs and features" depending on the view in Control Panel
3) Select Power Monitoring Expert and click the "Change" button or right click on Power monitoring expert and select "Change" from the options
4) Click on "Reset Accounts" and follow the prompts to set the Windows Accounts password to the desired value.

NOTE: You will need to repeat the password reset process each time the user's password is updated on the domain. ( Refer to FA208369)

Released for: Schneider Electric Global

Sustainability