Adding administrator groups
As the server administrator, you can use
administrator groups to delegate database administration tasks to other users. You retain exclusive and complete control of FileMaker Server.
Group administrators are not allowed to configure FileMaker Server, and you specify which database administration tasks you want to allow group administrators to do. See
Configuring administrator group settings.
To add an administrator group:
1. Click the General Settings > Administrator Groups tab.
2. Click Add.
3. Enter the configuration information for the administrator group:
To | Do this |
Enter the group name and password of the administrator group | • Group Name: Enter a name for the administrator group. The group administrator enters this name when logging in to Admin Console. The group can’t be the same as the Server Administrator name. It can be up to 50 characters. You cannot use a slash (/) in the name. • Group Password and Confirm Password: Enter a password for the administrator group. |
Use an optional external group for authentication | Select Use external group and enter an optional domain or local machine name followed by the external authentication group name. For example: groupname, domain\groupname, or groupname@localmachine. The external group cannot be associated with the Admin Console account. See Admin Console settings. You can limit the number of external groups FileMaker Server searches when authenticating users by specifying the domain or local machine name in either of the following formats: • domain\group or localmachine\group • group@domain or group@localmachine If you do not specify a domain or local machine name, here is how FileMaker Server searches for the external group on these platforms: • OS X: searches the local machine only • Windows: searches the domain, if the computer is a member of a domain, then searches the local machine To test your external group authentication setting, click Test External Group. If the test fails, verify the external group name information. |
Select the FileMaker Server group folder that contains the databases you want to associate with the administrator group | For the Group Folder, click Select Folder. Select the FileMaker Server group folder, then click OK. For information about the rules that affect group folders, see FileMaker Server group folders. • Folders that are not associated with an administrator group and are available to select have the following folder icon in the Select Folder dialog box:  • Folders that are already associated with an administrator group and are not available to select for another group have the following group folder icon:  . If you select a group’s folder and it is not available, the OK button is not available. • The parent folder or subfolder of an existing group folder cannot be selected as a group folder, as indicated by the following folder icon:  |
Select the FileMaker Server administrator group privileges | |
Configure a group start page for the administrator group | Click the Group Start Page tab, then select Enable the group start page. • Title: Enter a title for the group start page. • Message: Enter a message to be displayed on the group start page. • Group Start Page link: Although displayed, it is not available until you click Save. |
4. Click Save.
Important To prevent users from mistakenly logging in to Admin Console or the wrong administrator group, make sure the group names and passwords defined on the General Settings > Administrator Groups tab do not match any user name and password in any of the external authentication groups associated with Admin Console or another administrator group. Use a unique group name and a strong password that is at least 8 characters and a combination of letters and numbers. Note that the Admin Console user name and administrator group names are not case sensitive, but passwords are. For additional important guidelines for using external authentication groups, see
External authentication for Admin Console and administrator groups.
Notes
• Make sure you click Test External Group to verify the external group name information is correct. Also make sure the group administrator’s account information exists in the external group. If the external group name is incorrect or the group administrator’s user name or password does not exist in the external group, FileMaker Server displays a message to group administrators when they log in stating that the user name and password are incorrect.
• If a group administrator is a member of multiple external groups each of which is associated with an administrator group, Admin Console displays the Select Administrator Group dialog box to allow the group administrator to select an administrator group when logging in.
• Users in an associated external authentication group can log in using the group name and password in addition to their external user name and password. If you do not want to allow users to use the group name and password to log in, then do not distribute the group name and password to users.
• The administrator group privileges determine the level of access for group administrators that are members of external authentication groups.
• If you change the properties or privileges for an administrator group while a group administrator is logged in to that group, FileMaker Server displays a message that the group properties are immediately updated, and the current session will close. When you continue, the group administrator’s session is closed. For example, if you disable the privilege that allows the group administrator to create schedules, the change takes effect immediately. To avoid confusion, ask the group administrator to log out of Admin Console before you save any changes to the group properties or privileges.
• Schedules are associated with databases, not with administrator groups. If you change the group folder for an administrator group, the schedules displayed in the Schedules pane will change to the schedules that are associated with the databases in the new group folder. To avoid confusion, you may want to inform the group administrator before you change the group folder or group name.
• If a schedule performs a task on a database that is in an administrator group, the group’s name is listed next to the schedule in the Schedules pane for server administrators only. If you change a group name, the new name appears in the Schedules pane next to any schedules associated with the databases in that group.
• To remove a saved administrator group, select the name in Group Name, then click Remove. The databases in the group folder and all associated schedules are not deleted when you remove a group.
• To change a group folder for a saved administrator group from a subfolder to the default or additional database folder, you must first remove the saved administrator group. Then you can create a new group and select the default or additional database folder in the Select Folder dialog box.
• If a group folder is deleted, renamed, or moved by using file system tools, a group administrator can log in to Admin Console. But the group administrator cannot perform any database administration tasks because the association with the original group folder name has become invalid and consequently there are no databases in the group. You must specify a new valid group folder for the group on the General Settings > Administrator Groups tab.
• The server administrator can create all types of schedules for a particular group except system-level script schedules. Group administrators must create their own system-level script schedules for their groups. After the groups’ system-level script schedules are created, the server administrator can perform all actions on them—including running, editing, and deleting them.
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