Logging in to Finder (classic)
Last updated
Last updated
Nexthink Finder is a Windows-only desktop application whose functionality is now available within the Nexthink web interface. Nexthink can now be used directly from a browser and most functions no longer require an additional desktop application.
To start working with Finder, first authenticate as a valid user. Take advantage of single sign-on (SSO) solutions if your administrator has enabled SAML authentication. If no external authentication mechanism is available, use the credentials of your dedicated Nexthink local account.
The login process starts by connecting Finder to the Nexthink instance. From there, Finder first retrieves the list of available Engines within your view domain and finally connects to the Engine of your choice. Once connected, Finder has access to the data stored both in the Engine and in the centralized content manager of the Nexthink instance, letting you visualize, organize, and query end-user data in a variety of ways.
When you run Finder for the first time, the login dialog appears in quick connect mode, as indicated by its title at the top left corner of the dialog. The quick connect mode lets you specify all the necessary credentials to connect to any instance. To log in to Finder in using the quick connect mode:
Fill in the Host : Port field with the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Nexthink instance to which you want to connect, optionally followed by a colon and the port number where the system is listening for connections (by default, 443).
Depending on the authentication mechanisms available, choose one of the following:
If your administrator has enabled SAML tick the box Use single sign-on.
If only internal authentication is available, enter your credentials manually:
Type in your Username.
Type in your Password.
(Optional) Check the option Remember me to have the Host : Port and Username fields prefilled with the same data that you’ve just typed for the next time that you log in to Finder from the same computer. For the next login, you will just have to retype your password (if not externally managed).
(Optional) Check the option Sign me in automatically for the login dialog to remember your password as well and skip the login step altogether the next time that you run Finder from the same computer. Checking this option implies that the previous Remember me option is also checked. Administrators can disable this option.
Click Connect.
If SAML authentication is enabled and you have not logged in to your corporate account yet, Finder will open your corporate login page on your default web browser. Log in with your corporate account as usual.
If more than one Engine within your view domain is available, a list with all connected Engines shows up in the dialog Engine selection:
Click the name of an Engine to connect to it.
Click the star to the right of the name of an Engine to make it your favorite. The next time that you log in to Finder from the same computer, the step to select the Engine is skipped and you connect directly to your favorite Engine. You can later change your favorite Engine once you have logged in.
If Finder cannot connect to the Nexthink instance or to the selected Engine, it aborts the login process and displays an error message with the reason for the failure. For warnings related to security certificates during the connection, see the section on certificate issues below.
In a multi-users or multi-instances environment (for example, an environment with test and production instances), you may have to log in to Finder with distinct user accounts and connect to different instances from a single post. To save you from typing the credentials every time you have to log in to a different instance, store the credentials for distinct users and associated instances into sessions. Later, log in to Finder faster by accessing your stored sessions.
To create a new session in the login dialog:
Click the +New button found at the top right corner of the login dialog. The login dialog turns into session creation mode, copying the information that you typed previously in quick connect mode, if any, or from a previously selected session into the fields Host : Port and Username of the new session. Note that sessions do not store passwords by default. You can later specify to remember your password if you frequently use the same session.
Type in the FQDN of the Nexthink instance, followed by a colon and the port number in the field Host : Port. You can keep the copied value if any.
Type the name of the user to store in the session in the field Username. Again, you can keep the copied value, if the name of the user is not empty.
(Optional) Change the name of the session that is displayed at the top of the dialog by clicking on it and typing an alternative name. By default, the name of the session is built from the name of the user and instance in the form: Username on Host : Port.
(Optional) If the system supports SAML, tick the box Use single sign-on and Finder will let the external authentication mechanism manage the username and password.
Click Create to save the session. The login dialog will now switch to session mode.
Sessions are created locally on your system. Therefore, the sessions that you create on one computer are not automatically available when you try to log in to Finder from another computer.
Once you have created one or more sessions, you can use them to log in to different instances quickly. You only have to select the appropriate session and, eventually, enter your password. To log in from a saved session from the login dialog:
Click the down arrow in the top left tab of the login dialog, to the right of its title. A drop-down list appears with the names of the saved sessions and the Quick connect option at the top.
Select one of the saved sessions. The user and instance information stored in the session are displayed in the dialog. If you select Quick connect instead, you will go back to quick connect mode. Read the previous section on using the login dialog in quick connect mode.
Type in your password, if needed (not needed if you have previously instructed Finder to remember it or if you are using SAML).
(Optional) To store your password with the session information, check the option Remember password.
(Optional) Check the option Sign me automatically to skip the login step altogether and start the connection of the selected session as soon as you open Finder. This option requires the Remember password option to be checked.
Click Connect or press Enter and Finder initiates the connection.
If more than one Engine within your view domain is available, a list with all connected Engines shows up in the dialog Engine selection:
Click the name of an Engine to connect to it.
Click the star to the right of the name of an Engine to make that Engine your favorite. The next time that you log in to Finder from the same computer, the step to select the Engine is skipped and you connect directly to your favorite one. You can change your favorite Engine later, once you have logged in.
If Finder cannot connect, it aborts the login process and displays an error message with the reason for the failure. For warnings related to security certificates during the connection, see the section on certificate issues below.
If one of your saved sessions has wrong data or there was a change in user or instance settings, you may want to edit the session. To edit the saved values:
Click the down arrow placed in the top left tab of the login dialog (to the right of the title) and select the session that you want to edit from the drop-down list.
Click the Edit button that you find at the top right corner of the login dialog. You will enter session edition mode.
Edit the fields Username and Host : Port and the name of the session in the same way as when you created the session (see previous section).
Click Save to keep your changes and go back to session mode.
When you do not need a session anymore, remove it from your list. To delete one from the login dialog:
Click the down arrow placed in the top left tab of the login dialog (to the right of the title) and select the session that you want to delete from the drop-down list.
Click the Delete button that you find at the top right corner of the login dialog. A dialog appears asking you for confirmation on deleting the session.
Click Yes to confirm that you really want to delete the session. The login dialog removes the session from the list and goes back to quick connect mode.
While connecting to a Nexthink instance, Finder may display a warning message about security certificates. Security certificates ensure that the connections are safe. A problem with the certificates implies that there is a potential risk of impersonation.
Contact your Nexthink administrator to report an issue with the certificates. Log in only after your administrator has fixed the issue.
The Administrator role is a specialized designation generated by the Nexthink platform, reserved for internal use. When you create new roles, please choose a name other than 'Administrator.' The Administrator role remains exclusive to our internal team and is not accessible or visible to Nexthink users.
When Nexthink deploys your cloud instance, no user can log in to Finder until the admin user logs in at least once. That event triggers initialization phases inside the data storage layer and deploys all the necessary services to enable connectivity with the Finder applications.
