JobScheduler Universal Agent - Running jobs as a different user

Scope

• The Universal Agent is frequently running in the system account or a service account and will execute jobs within the context and permission of this account.
• Running a job as a different user includes to login as that user, optionally load the user profile and execute commands in this context.
• This article applies to the Universal Agent for Windows only. For Unix environments there is no need for scheduler based user switching as the built-in sudo and su capabilities provide this functionality.

Introduction

• For user switching the Agent has to be operated for a user account or service account, not for the system account.
• The credentials of the target user for which a job should be executed are not stored with JobScheduler configuration data. Instead the user account that runs the JobScheduler Windows Service stores credentials with the Windows Credential Manager. When a job should be executed then the JobScheduler Agent reads the credentials from the Windows Credential Manager. Reading credentials that have previously been stored using the same account works without the need to specify a password. Therefore the solution is free from use of passwords.
• A login is performed with the target user credentials and the user's environment is active when executing the job.

• User switching applies to
  • All job types (standalone jobs and job chain jobs)
  • Shell Jobs
  • API jobs in any of the supported languages
  • Pre-processing and post-processing Monitors

Credential Manager

The Windows Credential Manager is accessible via its

• Graphical User Interface  
• Command Line Interface: cmdkey
• API: the API is used by the JobScheduler Agent

Manage credentials with the Graphical User Interface

• Open the Credential Manager GUI from the JobScheduler Agent account.
  • English: Control Panel -> Credential Manager
  • German: Systemsteuerung -> Anmeldeinformationsverwaltung
• Select the Credential Type Windows Authentication -> Generic
  
  • Add credential information for a target user with the following input fields: 
    • Intenet or Netzwerkaddress
      • For use with JobScheduler this field holds the "target name" of the credentials. 
      • You are free to use any characters to specify a unique identifier for the credentials.
    • User name
      • The account for the target user can be specified by Unicode characters and digits including space, comma,  _, -, \ and @
      • For domain users specify the user principal name (UPN) in the format username@DOMAIN
        • The format DOMAIN\username is not supported
    • Password

Manage credentials with the Command Line Interface

• Open a Windows console window (cmd.exe) for the JobScheduler Agent account.

Permissions are required for the JobScheduler Agent account and for the target user of a job.

• To manage permissions switch to 
  • English:Control panel -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy -> Local Policies -> User Rights Assignment
  • German: Systemsteuerung -> Verwaltung -> Lokale Sicherheitsrichlinie -> Lokale Richtlinien -> Zuweisen von Benutzerrechten
•  Right-click a permission and use the Properties -> Add user or group action.

Privilege Constants.

Account Rights Constants

Permissions for the Agent Account

• SE_ASSIGNPRIMARYTOKEN_NAME
  
  • English: Replace a process-level token
  • German: Ersetzen eines Tokens auf Prozessebene
• SE_INCREASE_QUOTA_NAME
  
  • English: Adjust memory quotas for a process 
  • German: Anpassen von Speicherkontingenten für einen Prozess

Load target user profile

If the profile of the target user should be loaded then the Agent account requires the Administrator role, see LoadUserProfile, and permissions:

• SE_BACKUP_NAME
  
  • English: Back up files and directories 
  • German: Sichern von Dateien und Verzeichnissen
• SE_RESTORE_NAME
  
  • English: Restore files and directories
  • German: Wiederherstellen von Dateien und Verzeichnissen

Hints

Restart the JobScheduler Agent Windows Service in order to apply changes to roles and permissions.

Permissions for Target User

• SE_BATCH_LOGON_NAME
  
  • English: Log on as a batch job 
  • German: Anmelden als Stapelverarbeitungsauftrag

Error Messages

System Error Codes

Credential Manager

icacls

A wrong name has been used for the user account with the Credential Manager. You can use the runas command line utility  to check valid user names.

LogonUser

Job-User Credentials im Creadentials Store sind falsch.

Eigentlich es kann nur das Kennwort falsch sein, weil im Schritt davor (icacls) der Benutzername bereits akzeptiert wurde (icacls wirft eine Exception, wenn der Benutzername nicht bekannt ist).

Oder man verwendet bei einem Domain Benutzer die falsche Syntax DOMAIN\username statt username@DOMAIN - icacls kann mit DOMAIN\username umgehen, JobScheduler LogonUsernicht (nur username@DOMAIN).

Prüfen z.B. mit runas oder CMD als dieser Benutzer ausführen

Dem Job-User fehlt das Recht Log on as a batch job (Anmelden als Stapelverarbeitungsauftrag)

LoadUserProfile

Dem Agent-User fehlen folgende Rechte:

• Back up files and directories (Sichern von Dateien und Verzeichnissen)
• Restore files and directories (Wiederherstellen von Dateien und Verzeichnissen)

Agent-User ist kein Administrator