Account creation mode vs. domain account mode

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: kirk woellert (kdwoell_at_comcast.net)
Date: 07/19/04 

Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 22:23:32 -0400

I just spent four weeks trying to figure out how to implement Account
Creation Mode for WSS (because documentation on how to implement it is
poorly written). I have to say I am very disapointed in Microsoft (which for
some reason, just could not build a portal that acts like other portal
products).

You see I initially deployed our SPSv2 portal in Active Directory Mode,
which has become onerous to assign usernames/accounts to individuals. Now
after finally figuring out how to install Acccount Creation Mode (nevermind
discussing how abysmal the documentation was...), I find that the sysadmin
still must use their valuable time to manually add a user account.

Account Creation Mode seems to work as follows (for the benefit of others
since Microsoft failed to provide a document explaining how it actually
works):
1. The sysadmin adds a user by specifying a valid email address, and user
name, using stsadmin.exe at the command line.
2. WSS will send out an email invite to the site, requesting the user to
follow the URL embedded in the body of the email.
3. The body of the email also contains the username and a default password
for first time logon. A link for the user to change their password is
embedded in the email, if the user so decides they don't like the
non-sensical default password.
4. If the user clicks on the site link, they are presented with a dialog box
requesting authentication in the form of domain\username and password. Fine.

Now, my gripes with the above scenariou:

1. Apparently their is no mode in the SharePoint architecture that permists
a user to "self-register" to a site. There is no link/button on a SPS/WSS
site that says "sign up" or "register". In the above scenariou you still
gotta get an email or request by some other means to add a user to a site.
As sysadmin you either have to make up a username, or use one requested by
the user. In any event you have to define a policy on account requests in
advance. Where is the labor reduction in that conop?
2. There does not seem to be a method for users to manage their own
accounts. If a user wants to change their password, they have one
opportunity to do so- when they receive the intial invite.
3. It seems that on one of my home PC's everytime I visit the site link, I'm
logged in as domain\administrator without even an authentication dialog.
Very strange. I know this since I used the Coras userid webpart to verify
the current user logged in.

So, is there some magical document buried in Technet, or some other obscure
white paper, or readme file squirrled away in some stupid resource kit- that
explains how SharePoint can add users in a manner that emulates the "state
of the practice" in the web portal space? Our company has spendt thousands
of dollars on licenses, CALs and all my wasted time on SharePoint, when
other options like DotNetNuke, or Metadot, or even Zope were available.
Adding users and permitting collaboraiton is one of the most basic of design
requirements for a web portal- and I just can't believe it must be this
difficult in SharePoint.

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