In Niagara 4.4 and later, Workbench requires that the user remove the default platform user account and change the default system passphrase prior to completing a platform connection.These requirements are configurable via the Platform Connections options under Tools > Options.

These platform connection options are “true” by default, so that anytime Workbench detects either of the following conditions when making a platform connection it launches the Change Platform Defaults Wizard which steps you through the required changes: This view allows you to configure whether or not the system prompts the user to remove the default platform user account and/or to change the default system passphrase when making a platform connection. These options are offered as a convenience. For example, if another workflow already prompts for these changes, setting one or both of these options to false can prevent redundant prompts.

The system passphrase is used to protect sensitive information stored on all Niagara systems, and on the micro SD card in JACE-8000 controllers. The system passphrase is assigned as the file passphrase for “portable” files, such as backups and station copies, and is used to encrypt those files. During operations in which you transfer encrypted files to a system (restoring backups, transferring a station, etc.) you are prompted to enter the file passphrase if it doesn’t match the system passphrase for the target system. For more details, see “System passphrase” in the Niagara Platform Guide.