Alumni account reset

Occasionally former OCF members want to re-enable their accounts after they've been disabled for various reasons, including weak passwords, lack of CalNet UID, lack of Kerberos principal, etc.

These are the relevant steps to take in various situations.

Missing CalNet UID

If an alumni cannot use the online password reset function to reset the password on their account, but they do have a CalNet login, you can manually add the Calnet UID to their account in LDAP to let them perform a password reset. They may also need to have a Kerberos principal added for them.

Please make sure to confirm the user's CalNet ID using the Berkeley Directory, or by searching the Cal Alumni Network. Alumni profile URLs are in the form https://cal.berkeley.edu/profile.php?u=<calnet_uid>. You may need an actual alumnus to perform the search for you, if you are so inclined but unable to access the page on account of your youth.

To perform the association, simply follow the steps outlined in the LDAP Association documentation with regards to adding the calnetUid record. However, don't delete it after you're done.

Missing Kerberos principal

In 2011, we transitioned our password database to Kerberos. Anyone who logged into their OCF account during the transition had their credentials migrated, but alumni who didn't log in may be missing a Kerberos principal. For them, it is necessary to manually add one.

This error manifests itself as the following when a user attempts to reset their password:

kadmin Error: kadmin: cpw <username>: Principal does not exist

To add the principal, run the following:

$ kadmin add --use-defaults --random-password <username>

You will need an admin principal yourself to do this. kadmin will return the password and you can relay this to the alumni.

Disabled Account

If the account is sorried, refer to the documentation for unsorry to re-enable the account.

Manual Verification of Alumni Identity

Before re-enabling access to an alumni's account, one should verify their identity. If they do not have a CalNet UID or are otherwise lacking a reasonable method of verifying their identity, it may be necessary to request manual verification of identity. Pursuant to the instructions for alumni, if you receive a reactivation request from an alum and need to manually verify their identity, direct them to send you the required documentation at a private address and destroy the documentation as soon as possible.