Prompt for proxy password when it is not specified on login dialog

Advertisement

ehusby
Joined:
Posts:
2

Prompt for proxy password when it is not specified on login dialog

Related tracker: Issue 468 – Prompt for proxy password when it is not specified on login dialog

For my login to NASA systems, I must use an 8-digit RSA Token code as the proxy password (workflow details are all here: https://www.nccs.nasa.gov/nccs-users/instructional/using-discover/file-transfer/local-to-nccs-systems).

The NASA workflow dictates that I must update the proxy password every time I attempt to connect to their systems using WinSCP. If I forget to do this, WinSCP will automatically make many attempts to connect to the proxy in the background using the old, expired 8-digit token code. When this happens, NASA detects the many failed authentication attempts and puts a lock on my account. I have to then call up NASA IT to have them unlock my account. This has happened at least 5 times now and is very frustrating!

It would be so helpful if I could leave the proxy password field blank so that it must be entered every time I establish a new connection to the NASA system, to avert this pitfall.

On a related note, after I have connected successfully to the NASA system, I must be careful to not accidentally initiate a new background connection because it will again use the old, expired 8-digit token code when attempting to establish the background connection. This means I currently cannot edit any files on the remote computer. If I accidentally try to edit and save a file on the remote side, WinSCP will again automatically make many failed attempts to connect to the proxy, resulting in my NASA account being locked out. To avert this problem, I wish there was a setting to allow editing and saving remote files using the same connection as the main "file browsing" connection -- without needing to create a new connection in the background for the file transfer of the updated file.

Thank you so much, I really love WinSCP!

Reply with quote

Advertisement

ehusby
Joined:
Posts:
2

Re: Prompt for proxy password when it is not specified on login dialog [SOLVED]

Today I found a working solution, swapping out PuTTY's plink.exe for TortoiseSVN's TortoisePlink.exe in the local proxy command (and dropping the -pw %pass part of the command). TortoisePlink will give me a graphical prompt for the RSA Token code upon establishing the initial connection, and at any time WinSCP needs to open a new background connection as well!! So now I can finally edit files directly on the remote system through WinSCP!

I am so happy -- today was the last day I will need to call NASA IT to have my account unlocked.:)

Reply with quote

martin
Site Admin
martin avatar

Re: Prompt for proxy password when it is not specified on login dialog [SOLVED]

Good idea. Thanks for sharing it.

Reply with quote

Advertisement

You can post new topics in this forum