IMM repeadedly prompts to change user account passwords - IBM System x

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H194649

Symptom

The issue is having to repeatedly set/change the Integrated Management Module (IMM) user account passwords (including the default USERID) when logging on to the IMM interfaces.

The issue occurs whenever the Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) battery of the server's system board is removed in an effort to perform a reset of the IMM/Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), or if the servers' IMM internal clock was never set to something greater than 1/1/1970.

The user will be prompted to change the passwords for any user account created on the IMM every time that they log into any IMM interface requiring user account authentication.

Affected configurations

The system may be any of the following IBM servers:

• System x3200 M3, type 7327, any model
• System x3200 M3, type 7328, any model
• System x3250 M3, type 4251, any model
• System x3250 M3, type 4252, any model
• System x3250 M3, type 4261, any model
• System x3400 M2, type 7836, any model
• System x3400 M2, type 7837, any model
• System x3500 M2, type 7839, any model
• System x3550 M2, type 4198, any model
• System x3550 M2, type 7946, any model
• System x3550 M3, type 4254, any model
• System x3550 M3, type 7944, any model
• System x3650 M2, type 4199, any model
• System x3650 M2, type 7947, any model
• System x3650 M3, type 4255, any model
• System x3650 M3, type 7945, any model
• iDataPlex dx360 M2 Server, type 6380, any model
• iDataPlex dx360 M2 Server, type 7321, any model
• iDataPlex dx360 M2 Server, type 7323, any model

This tip is not software specific.
This tip is not option specific.

Workaround

The IMM must be set to a current clock time and date:

1. Log in to the IMM Web interface.
   
   
2. In the left column, select System Settings.
   
   
3. On the right side, scroll to IMM Date and Time and click on the link that says "Set IMM Date and Time."
   
   
4. Restart the IMM for this change to take affect. Allow 3 to 5 minutes for the IMM to fully come back online.
   
   
5. Log back in to the IMM web interface. Change the password for the account used to authenticate the access to the session. This password will now become permanent. If you want to set the password to something previously chosen, you can change the password under the Login Profiles section.
   

Additional information

The symptoms occur when user accounts (including the default USERID account), are created and/or passwords for those accounts are set when the IMM's internal clock date is set to the default date of, 1/1/1970.

Per the algorithm in the IMM firmware code, each user account is assigned a number when the account is created. The age of the user account's number is calculated by subtracting the date the account was created, from the default IMM clock date of 1/1/1970. If the clock is not set to a current date and time, the age of an account's creation, will be "zero", and the algorithm flags these accounts as expired and will continuously prompt to change the password for those accounts. Note that this is true even for the default USERID account.

The Workaround resolves the issue by setting the IMM's internal clock to the current date and time. By doing this, any account that is created is assigned a number with an age greater than "zero" days.