tiCrypt 2.17.15

VM User Management

A VM user is an account that exists inside a running virtual machine. A VM user is not a tiCrypt user. The two systems share names and can refer to the same person, but they are separate hierarchies with separate permissions, and neither inherits from the other.

Why VM users are separate from tiCrypt users

They are different trust domains. The main system governs accounts, teams, projects, and Vault encryption. A virtual machine governs the operating system, its drives, and the live sessions on it. A system administrator can activate accounts and configure hardware but cannot open a VM terminal or read its drives; a VM Owner has full authority over their machine but cannot promote users or change system settings. Access to a VM is granted by its Owner and is never inherited from an administrative role.

This is what makes the compliance claim provable. In regulated environments administrators must be able to demonstrate that they cannot reach research data. A single unified permission system would make that impossible to show. Splitting the hierarchies means the proof is structural rather than a matter of policy.

VM users persist on the home drive. The VM user database lives on the first attached drive, so roles and permissions survive restarts and travel with the drive if it is attached to another configuration as its home drive. Attaching it as an additional drive does not import the database.

Co-owner is the role that grants drive access. Managers can manage users without holding drive keys; co-owners hold the keys. Grant co-ownership only to people you intend to give the data to.

Before you begin

• The VM is running and you are its Owner, or a Co-owner or Manager with the relevant permission.
• You cannot modify the VM Owner, and you cannot grant permissions that you do not hold yourself.

Add Users to a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to add users to.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, click the Add users button in the top-right panel.
7. In the pop-up, enter the user names to add, their profile, and their role in the VM.
8. For custom users, tick or untick permissions in the VM.
9. Click the Add button. Its label names what you selected, for example Add 2 users.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Failed to View Users Section in Virtual Machine

The Users section does not appear in the VM Settings and Details window.

Ask VM Users Permissions from VM Owner

Ask the VM owner to allow you to access the VM users section. The VM Settings and Details option itself only appears for Managers, Co-owners, and the Owner of the VM.

To Virtual Machine Owner
To allow VM users permissions to a VM user:  

1. In the VMs section, click the virtual machine where you want to update a user's viewing users permissions.
2. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
3. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
4. Next, select the appropriate user, then click the Open full menu button in the top-right panel.
5. Select Edit user access.
6. In the pop-up, set the profile to Custom.
7. Scroll down under Permissions, and tick Users.
8. Click Save.

Did Not Select Users, Teams and/or Groups

You must select at least one user from the autocomplete.

Select Users, Teams and/or Groups

In the Add users to vm-name prompt, select existing users, teams and/or groups in the Add Users, Teams, Groups field.

Add Teams to a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to add teams to.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, click the Add users button in the top-right panel.
7. In the pop-up, enter the team names to add, their profile, and their role in the VM.
8. For custom teams, tick or untick permissions in the VM.
9. Click the Add button. Its label names what you selected, for example Add 2 users.

note

• This adds all team members of the selected team(s) to the virtual machine.

Add Groups to a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to add groups to.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, click the Add users button in the top-right panel.
7. In the pop-up, enter the group names to add, their profile, and their role in the VM.
8. For custom groups, tick or untick permissions in the VM.
9. Click the Add button. Its label names what you selected, for example Add 2 users.

note

This adds all group members of the selected group(s) to the virtual machine.

tip

You can add a combination of users, teams and groups to the VM simultaneously.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Failed to View Groups Section in Virtual Machine

Failed to list groups: insufficient permissions: group:list: missing permission: {PermGroups}.

Failed to List Groups in Virtual Machine

Failed to list groups: insufficient role: group:list: insufficient role, need RoleManager.

Ask VM Groups Permissions from VM Owner

Ask the VM owner to allow you to access the VM groups section.

To Virtual Machine Owner
To allow group permissions to a VM user:  

1. In the VMs section, click the virtual machine where you want to update a user's group permissions.
2. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
3. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
4. Next, select the appropriate user, then click the Open full menu button in the top-right panel.
5. Select Edit user access.
6. In the pop-up, set the profile to Custom and the role to Manager.
7. Scroll down under Permissions, and tick Groups List (all), create, delete, and modify groups.
8. Click Save.

Add Users, Teams and Groups as Managers to a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to add managers to.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, click the Add users button in the top-right panel.
7. In the pop-up, enter the user, team and group names to add and their profiles.
8. Set their role to Manager.
9. For custom users, teams and groups tick or untick permissions in the VM.
10. Click the Add button. Its label names what you selected, for example Add 2 users.

note

• Adding a team or group as manager adds all users within the team or group as managers in the VM.
• Only the owner of a VM can designate managers and co-owners.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Added Users, Teams and Groups Successfully

Add number-of-users users to vm-nametotal-adding-time.

Add Users, Teams and Groups as Co-owners to a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

Method One

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to add co-owners to.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, click the Add users button in the top-right panel.
7. In the pop-up, enter the user, team and group names to add and their profiles.
8. Set their role to Co-owner.
9. For custom users, teams and groups tick or untick permissions in the VM.
10. Click the Add button. Its label names what you selected, for example Add 2 users.

Method Two

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the Virtual Machines section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the menu next to the virtual machine to add co-owners to.
4. Select Add Co-owners (Add co-owners when the VM is stopped).
5. In the pop-up, enter the user names to add as co-owners to the virtual machine.
6. Click Update followed by the VM name.

tip

Updating the co-owner list also syncs user access on the running VM, so no separate sync is needed.

note

• You cannot add co-owners to a VM you do not own but that was shared with you. You must own or co-own the VM to add other co-owners with Method Two. With Method One, only the VM owner can designate co-owners.
• You may need to enter your password to perform this operation.

caution

Adding co-owner(s) also grants them access to the VM's associated drives. Co-owners can restart and mount these drives in other VMs.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Updated Users' to VM Co-owners Successfully

Edit ownership of vm-name total-updating-time.

Added Users, Teams and Projects Successfully

Add user-name to vm-nametotal-adding-time.

Failed to Select the Co-owner

You must select at least one user from the autocomplete.

Select User to Be the VM Co-owner

In the Add Users, Teams, Groups field, ensure you select the user for the co-owner position in the VM.

Remove Users from a Virtual Machine

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to remove users from.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, select the user to remove.
7. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
8. Then, select Remove user access.
9. In the pop-up, click Remove followed by the user name to proceed.

info

Removed VM users lose access to the VM, but their home directory and group memberships are not deleted.

note

You cannot remove the VM Owner. Edit user access and Remove user access are not offered when the selection includes the Owner.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Removed Users from VM Successfully

Remove user-name(s) from vm-nametotal-removing-time.

Failed to View Users Section in Virtual Machine

The Users section does not appear in the VM Settings and Details window.

Ask VM Users Permissions from VM Owner

Ask the VM owner to allow you to access the VM users section. The VM Settings and Details option itself only appears for Managers, Co-owners, and the Owner of the VM.

To Virtual Machine Owner
To allow VM users permissions to a VM user:  

1. In the VMs section, click the virtual machine where you want to update a user's viewing users permissions.
2. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
3. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
4. Next, select the appropriate user, then click the Open full menu button in the top-right panel.
5. Select Edit user access.
6. In the pop-up, set the profile to Custom.
7. Scroll down under Permissions, and tick Users.
8. Click Save.

Edit Roles in a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to edit management roles.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, select the user(s) to manage.
7. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
8. Then, select Edit user access.
9. In the prompt, set the Profile to Custom, then select the role: Co-owner, Manager, or User.
10. Click Save.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Updated Users' Roles VM Successfully

Updated user.

Edit Permissions in a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to manage user permissions.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, select the user(s) to manage.
7. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
8. Then, select Edit user access.
9. In the pop-up, with the Profile set to Custom, tick or untick VM user(s) permissions.
10. Click Save.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Updated Users' Permissions VM Successfully

Updated user.

Access User Profiles in a Virtual Machine

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to access user profiles.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Profiles section in the left panel.

note

Only Managers, Co-owners, and the Owner of a VM can open VM Settings and Details, where the Profiles section is. Only the VM Owner can edit or remove Manager and Co-owner profiles.

Add User Profiles in a Virtual Machine

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to add user profiles.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Profiles section in the left panel.
6. Click the Add new profile button in the top right panel.
7. In the pop-up, enter the profile name.
8. Select the role and permissions.
9. Click Create Profile.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Failed to Enter User Profile Name

You must enter a name.

Enter User Profile Name

In the Add user profiles to vm-name prompt, enter the user profile name in the Profile Name field.

Failed to Select User Profile Role

Must select a role.

Select User Profile Role

Select a user profile role under the Role section.

Import User Profiles from the Same or Other Virtual Machines

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to import user profiles.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Profiles section in the left panel.
6. Click the Add new profile button in the top right panel.
7. In the pop-up, tick Import profile from same or other VM.
8. Next, select the profile in the Existing Profiles field and enter a new profile name.
9. Alter permissions for the new profile.
10. Click Create Profile.

Apply Virtual Machine User Profile to User(s)

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to edit management roles.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Users section in the left panel.
6. Next, select the user(s) to manage.
7. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
8. Then, select Edit user access.
9. In the prompt, select the user(s) VM profile at the top.
10. Click Save.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Applied Users' Profile VM Successfully

Updated user.

Edit User Profiles in a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to edit user profiles.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Profiles section in the left panel.
6. Click the Edit permissions button in the top right panel.
7. Next, tick or untick permissions of the VM user profiles.
8. Finally, click Save in the top right corner.

note

• You can edit multiple VM profiles in bulk at the same time.
• To edit a single profile, use the Edit button next to the user profile.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Updated User Profile Successfully

Update number-of-users-with-the-profile to vm-name (total-updating-time).

Delete User Profiles in a Virtual Machine

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the virtual machine to edit user profiles.
4. Click the VM Settings and Details option in the bottom center.
5. In the new window, select the Profiles section in the left panel.
6. Click the Remove button next to the user profile you want to delete.
7. In the pop-up, click Remove followed by the profile name to proceed.

Bulk Email Users from a Virtual Machine

bulk-action

1. Go to the Virtual Machines icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Click the VMs section on the top left panel.
3. In the left panel, click the menu next to the virtual machine to bulk email.
4. Select Bulk email.
5. In the pop-up, click Copy to copy the VM users' emails or click Download to download them.
6. Once done, click Close.

note

The Prefer contact email? checkbox is ticked by default and lists each user's contact email where one is set. Untick it to list each user's login email instead.