Sign in, sessions and account

The DataMind Installer has its own accounts, separate from DataMind OS. This page covers the first account, signing in, how long a session lasts, and the account menu.

First run: create the admin account

On a brand-new install no account exists yet, so the page shows the registration form instead of sign-in. The full journey is on Install on a fresh host.

1. Open the DataMind Installer in your browser (the default address is http://<host>:8000/; see The DataMind Installer).
2. The page reads Create admin account and Set up your DataMind Installer admin account. Type your address in Enter your email, a password in Enter your password that meets the Installer's password rule (see Users), and repeat it in Confirm your password.
3. Click Create account. The button reads Creating account… while it works.

Check it worked. You are signed in and the deployment screen opens.

The form refuses mistakes inline: Email is required, Enter a valid email, Password is required or Passwords do not match. A failed registration reads Registration failed.

Once the first account exists, the registration form is gone. The page always shows sign-in, with a Don't have an account? hint whose tooltip reads Admin user already exists. Contact your team to set up your account.. A registration attempt after the first account exists switches the page to sign-in with An admin account already exists. Please sign in instead.. More accounts are added by an admin on the users list (Users).

Sign in

1. Open the DataMind Installer. With accounts in place, the page reads Welcome back! and Please enter your details.
2. Type your address in Enter your email and your password in Enter your password.
3. Click Log in. The button reads Signing in… while it works.

Check it worked. The deployment screen opens, with your avatar at the bottom of the sidebar.

When the details are not accepted, the page shows why:

• Invalid email or password: the address and password do not match an account.
• Account is deactivated: the account is blocked until an admin activates it again.
• Authentication failed. Check your credentials.: the check failed and no further detail is available.
• A Connection Error block with Could not connect to the DataMind Installer backend. or Cannot reach the DataMind Installer backend. Make sure it is running.: the Installer backend is not answering.
• Anything else shows the message the Installer sends, falling back to Something went wrong. Please try again.

More help: Troubleshooting.

Sessions: staying signed in

Signing in keeps you in with a pair of httpOnly cookies (an access session and a refresh session) that page scripts cannot read. Over HTTPS both are marked Secure; behind a proxy, the proxy must pass X-Forwarded-Proto: https (TLS and certificates).

By default an access session lasts about an hour and a refresh session lasts about a week. The browser renews the access session in the background, and each renewal replaces the refresh session with a new one. When the refresh session ends, sign in again.

• A new sign-in ends the account's other sessions.
• A password change or an admin password reset signs the account out of all its sessions.
• A signed-in browser recovers once from an expired session; if that fails you return to the sign-in screen. If you keep landing back on the sign-in screen behind your proxy, see TLS and certificates.
• Logout clears the session cookies even when the session is no longer valid.

The account menu

The avatar at the bottom of the sidebar opens the account menu: your email, Change email, the theme toggle and Logout.

Change your email

1. Open the account menu and click Change email. The dialog reminds you of the address you sign in with.
2. Type the new address in New email, repeat it in Confirm new email, and confirm with your current password in Current password.
3. Click Change email. The toast Email changed reads <old address> is now <new address>.

Check it worked. Sign out and back in with the new address.

Mistakes are refused inline: Email is required, Enter a valid email address, This is already the current email, Confirm the new email, Emails do not match or Current password is required.

To change the address of another account, an admin uses the users list (Users).

Change your password

The Installer has no separate password screen. A new password is set with Reset password on the users list: an admin can set one for any account, including their own, and if you are not an admin, ask an admin. Setting a new password signs the account out of all its sessions; sign in again with it (Users).

Theme

The same menu toggles the theme: Light Mode while you are in dark mode, Dark Mode while you are in light mode. The Installer remembers your choice in this browser; before you pick one, it follows your operating system, falling back to dark.

Logout

Logout ends your session in this browser and returns you to the sign-in screen.

Questions, answered

Why was I signed out while I was using the Installer?

Your session ended. This happens when the same account signs in somewhere else, when a password is changed or reset, or when the refresh session runs out. A signed-in browser tries once to renew an expired session; if that fails, you return to the sign-in screen and sign in again.

Does signing in on another computer sign me out on this one?

Yes. Signing in ends the account's other sessions, and those browsers return to the sign-in screen.

The sign-in screen says Account is deactivated. What does that mean?

An admin has deactivated the account. It cannot sign in until it is activated again; an admin manages this on the users list (Users).

Why is there no register form on the sign-in screen?

The first account already exists. The registration form appears only on a brand-new install, before the first admin is created. After that, accounts are added by an admin (Users).

How do I change my own password?

With Reset password on the users list. An admin can set a new password for any account, including their own; if you are not an admin, ask an admin. The new password signs the account out of all its sessions (Users).

How do I change the address I sign in with?

Change it from the account menu. Change email asks for the new address, a confirmation and your current password; afterwards you sign in with the new address.

How long do I stay signed in?

As long as you keep using the Installer. An access session lasts about an hour and is renewed in the background; a refresh session lasts about a week. If you leave the Installer for longer than that, sign in again.

What should I check when the screen says Cannot reach the DataMind Installer backend?

The Installer backend is not answering. Check that the Installer is running and that you opened the right address (The DataMind Installer), then reload. If it stays down, see Service status and Troubleshooting.

How do I switch the Installer to light mode?

Use the theme toggle in the account menu. It reads Light Mode while you are in dark mode and Dark Mode while you are in light mode. Your choice is remembered in this browser.