Frequently Asked Question

Starting with V11.1.7, Plato applications running under Windows Task Scheduler or in unattended mode will require Registration on the running machine and user.

Typically, unattended applications are interfaces to other systems or processes that need to be run regularly throughout the day without user intervention, e.g. to rebuild Work Queues.

When run in unattended mode, the application needs to connect to the Live database without requiring user login first. This bypasses the first two protection layers in V11 Plato applications as well as other protections you may have implemented, e.g. MFA.

As this could make it easier for a hacker to acquire live database credentials, an unscheduled app needs to have been Registered for the target machine and AD user before database connection is attempted. This makes it much more difficult for a hacker trying to hook your connection strings or other sensitive settings.

To Register an Application for Unattended Mode:

Create a [SYSTEMx] in your config.ini file with Type=REGISTER. Example:

[SYSTEM3]
title=St Elsewhere Unattended pasextract and reports
type=REGISTER PASEXTRACT,REPORTS
system=StE Unattended Apps

Now run config.exe on the target machine logged in as the user to be specified as User Account in Task Scheduler, or that will run the unattended application. When the above [SYSTEM3] is actioned, Pasextract and Reports will be Registered for Unattended Mode on the running machine and user. 

If some other user tries to run the unattended application or it is run on another machine, the unattended application will log an Alert and terminate without attempting a Live database connection.