How to enable automatic password reset and SMS notifications with ADSelfService Plus?

ADSelfService Plus – Automatic Password Reset and SMS Sending of Expired Passwords

🎯 The goal
The purpose of this document is to describe the configuration steps required to automatically reset expired user passwords and send a new password to the user via SMS on ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus.

⚙️ Prerequisites
ADSelfService Plus installation must be complete.
The SMS gateway must be configured.
Users' phone numbers must be defined in Active Directory.
Domain Controller access and permissions must be verified.

🛠️ Configuration Steps
1. Configuration Policy Settings
Log in to the ADSelfService Plus admin panel.
Go to Configuration → Policy Configuration
Select the relevant policy or create a new policy.



2. Activating Automation Settings
Under the selected policy, go to the Advanced → Automation tab.
Activate the following setting:
"Automatically resets domain user's passwords when they expire"

3. Determining Working Hours
Set when the automation will run using the Frequency setting.
Example: Daily, hourly, or specific time intervals

4. Establishing a Password Policy
Use the Password Policy option to define the criteria for the password to be created.

⚠️ For this step to work:

Under Configuration → Password Policy Enforcer, the ADSelfService Plus password policy must be activated.



5. Activating DC Updater
The DC Updater feature must be enabled for changes to be applied to the Domain Controller.



6. SMS Notification Settings
Go to the Notifications tab under the same policy.
Open the Reset Password section.
Activate the "Notify via SMS" option.

7. Customizing SMS Content
Edit the SMS message to be sent to the user.
The following macro must be included in the message:

%password%

📌 This macro ensures that the new password generated by the system is sent to the user.



✅ Result

With this configuration:
  1. Expired user passwords are automatically reset.
  2. The automation works within the specified time interval.
  3. The newly generated password will be sent to the user via SMS.

This way, password management is centralized and automated, eliminating the need for users to perform manual actions.

💡 Notes and Tips
  1. Test that the gateway integration for sending SMS messages is working correctly.
  2. From a security standpoint, SMS content and password policy should be carefully defined.
  3. For critical accounts (e.g., admin accounts), this automation can be managed with a separate policy.