WebSphere can be configured to obtain users from the following sources.

• LDAP
• The fileRegistry.xml file on your WebSphere server (aka Federated Repository)
• Operating System
• SQL database

You can only reset a users password in WebSphere if the user account resides in the fileRegistry.xml file on the WebSphere server. When WebSphere is configured with a Federated Repository, typically, user accounts reside in the fileRegistry.xml file on the WebSphere server. If WebSphere is configured to obtain user accounts from LDAP, Operating System, or a SQL database, then you would reset the users password in LDAP or in the Operating System or in the SQL database.

In the WebSphere admin console, expand Users and Groups and select Manage Users. If the below message is displayed, this suggests that WebSphere is configured to use the LDAP, Operating System, or a SQL database for authentication.

If users are displayed, check the Unique Name column to determine if the user account resides on a file on the WebSphere server (defaultWIMFileBasedRealm), or if the user account resides in LDAP, Operating System, or a SQL database. You would only reset the password if the user account resides in fileRegistry.xml on the WebSphere server.

In this example, Jeremy Canfield (thats me!) password is reset.

A users password can also be reset using the wsadmin command.

# Jython
AdminTask.changeFileRegistryAccountPassword(-userId username -password password)

# Jacl
$AdminTask changeFileRegistryAccountPassword {-userId username -password password}

Save the change to the master respository.

# Jacl
$AdminConfig save

# Jython
AdminConfig.save()

And to then display the users in the registry.

# Jython
AdminTask.searchUsers('[-uid *]')

# Jacl
$AdminTask searchUsers { -uid * }

Under the hood, resetting a users password will update the ${was_install_root}/profiles/your_profile/config/cells/your_cell/fileRegistry.xml file. The date and time that the users password was reset will be updated in fileRegistry. Also, the users new password, in encrypted form, will be updated in the fileRegistry.xml file.

<wim:modifyTimestamp>2018-11-04T04:03:09.608-06:00</wim:modifyTimestamp>
<wim:password>U0hBLTE6Z45kCaJkZ2dzcjMxOnpWeFN6hjvDflBtZW41Smt5UDBxNW1tL1119hFK</wim:password>