User Database Manager

All actions in WinGate are performed in the context of a user account.

Therefore a core function of WinGate is user and group management, to enable the setting of per-user or per-group policy, permissions for access to the WinGate Management console, and support user functions such as email mailboxes.

The User Database Manager module provides a framework for management and selection of user database providers.

WinGate comes with three user database providers allowing you to select one that best suits your network environment:

1. WinGate user database

   The WinGate user database provides a user database you can use to create users and groups independently of the host operating system or domain.

   This can be useful if for whatever reason you don't want the WinGate computer to be on your domain, and don't want to create accounts on the WinGate computer for internet access through WinGate.

   The WinGate user database supports large numbers of users, and nested groups. It also supports enabling / disabling group membership so you don't need to delete a user from a group to remove their membership.

   The WinGate user database supports several authentication methods, including NTLM, so it is possible to support automatic logon of client browsers if WinGate accounts and passwords match client windows credentials.

2. Windows Users and Groups Connector

   The Windows Users and Groups Connector allows WinGate to use the user accounts and security groups defined in local users and groups on the computer where WinGate is installed.

   Management (creation / deletion / editing etc) of user accounts and security groups is not provided by WinGate, this is still performed in the OS Local users and groups under computer management.

3. Active Directory Connector

   License restriction: The Active Directory Connector is only available when using a WinGate Professional or WinGate Enterprise license.

   If the WinGate computer is joined to an Active Directory, the Active Directory Connector allows WinGate to use the user accounts and security groups defined in the Active Directory. Like the Windows Users and Groups connector, all user and group administration (creating users and groups, passwords etc.) is performed using the Active Directory Users and Computers mmc.

How to select a user database