Configuring system passphrase

In this Commissioning Wizard step, you specify a passphrase to replace the factory default passphrase. A strong password is required (a minimum of 10 characters and include at least one uppercase character, at least one lowercase character, and at least one digit).

In Niagara 4.4 and later, Workbench requires that the user remove the default platform user account and change the default system passphrase prior to completing a platform connection.These requirements are configurable via the Platform Connections options under Tools > Options.

Figure 9.   Platform connection options
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These platform connection options are “true” by default, so that anytime Workbench detects either of the following conditions when making a platform connection it launches the Change Platform Defaults Wizard which steps you through the required changes:
  • The system passphrase of the remote platform is the default value.
  • The platform credentials of the remote platform are factory default values.
This view allows you to configure whether or not the system prompts the user to remove the default platform user account and/or to change the default system passphrase when making a platform connection. These options are offered as a convenience. For example, if another workflow already prompts for these changes, setting one or both of these options to false can prevent redundant prompts.

The system passphrase is used to protect sensitive information stored on all Niagara systems. The system passphrase is assigned as the file passphrase for “portable” files, such as backups and station copies, and is used to encrypt those files. During operations in which you transfer encrypted files to a system (restoring backups, transferring a station, etc.) you are prompted to enter the file passphrase if it doesn’t match the system passphrase for the target system. For more details, see “System passphrase” in the Niagara Platform Guide.

Perform the following steps:
  1. Enter the Current Passphrase for the Edge device (typically the factory default passphrase).
  2. Enter a strong password in the New Passphrase and Confirm New Passphrase fields.
    The entries in both of these fields must match.
  3. Click Next to continue.
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 CAUTION: When you create a system passphrase be sure to make a note of it and guard it carefully! If you lose the system passphrase, you will lose access to encrypted data. You can change the system passphrase using the Platform Administration tool.