Why Can't I Sign In to ABM Service?
The ABM Service sign-in page says in a sentence why a sign-in did not work, above the Who you are box. This page explains each of those sentences and what to do. Most of them are settled in ABM's own user list, by whoever looks after ABM at your company, rather than in ABM Service.
What does "That password was not accepted" mean on the sign-in page?
That password was not accepted. Check it and try again. means the password you typed is not the ABM password for the name you chose. ABM Service empties the Password box so you can type it again.
Check that you chose your own name in the Who you are box, then type the password again. Capital letters do not matter, and spaces before or after the password are ignored, so the usual cause is a mistyped letter or a different person's name chosen from the list. Select Show at the end of the Password box to see what you are typing.
A wrong password is answered after a short wait, and the wait grows with each wrong password for the same name: one second the first time, then two, then four, doubling each time up to half a minute. Sign in reads Signing in… while you wait, and the boxes cannot be changed until the answer comes. This slows down anyone guessing passwords; it is not a lock-out, and it never holds up anybody else signing in with their own name. The waits are forgotten an hour after your last wrong password, or as soon as you sign in successfully. ABM Service itself never locks your ABM user.
If you have forgotten your password, ask whoever looks after ABM at your company. Passwords are set and changed in ABM's own user list; the ABM Service sign-in page has no forgotten-password link and no way to change a password.
What do "This user has no password yet" and "ABM has not given this user this company" mean?
Both messages mean the password is not the problem: something about your ABM user needs changing in ABM's own user list, by whoever looks after ABM at your company.
- This user has no password yet. Whoever looks after ABM can set one in ABM’s own user list. Your ABM user has never been given a password, so there is nothing to check yours against. Once a password has been set in ABM, sign in with it.
- ABM has not given this user this company. Whoever looks after ABM can, in ABM’s own user list. Your password was right, but ABM has not given your user the company this ABM Service address belongs to. Each company has its own ABM Service address, so check that you opened the right one. If you did, ask for the company to be added to your user in ABM.
When the company is the problem, ABM Service marks the Who you are box rather than the Password box, because your password was accepted.
Neither message goes away by trying again. Nothing you can do on the sign-in page changes them; the change has to be made in ABM itself, and then you sign in as usual.
What do "Choose your name from the list first" and "Enter your ABM password" mean?
These two messages mean the sign-in page is missing something before it can check anything.
- Choose your name from the list first. You selected Sign in without choosing a name from the list in the Who you are box. Typing your name is not enough on its own: moving to the Password box without choosing it clears what you typed. ABM Service opens the list for you and marks the box. Choose your name from the list, or press Enter to choose the highlighted one, then select Sign in again.
- Enter your ABM password. You chose your name but the Password box is empty. Type your ABM password and select Sign in again.
The Sign in button is never greyed out. Instead, when something is missing, it tells you what, in a sentence above the Who you are box, so you always know why nothing happened.
If your name is not in the list at all, the names come from ABM's own user list, and users marked as removed in ABM are hidden. Ask whoever looks after ABM at your company to check your entry.
What does it mean when the sign-in page says the server is busy or did not answer?
These messages mean ABM Service could not finish checking your sign-in right now. Your name and password are not the problem, so wait a moment and try again.
- The server is busy signing people in; try again in a moment. Many people are signing in at once, or your previous attempt for the same name is still being answered. Wait a few seconds and select Sign in again.
- ABM’s control database did not answer. Try again in a moment., or a sentence naming a server followed by did not answer. Either the place where ABM keeps its users and passwords, or your company's own database, could not be reached. Try again in a minute.
- A message starting This site's database is on version and saying which version this build needs. ABM Service is bringing its own part of your company's database up to date after an update. When the message ends Try again in a moment., wait a little and select Sign in again. When it says the database could not be brought up to date, trying again will not help: tell whoever looks after ABM Service. A message saying This site's database is being checked before this build uses it. also clears by itself in a moment.
- Signing in did not work. Try again. Something unexpected went wrong. Try again, and if it keeps happening, tell whoever looks after ABM Service.
If the list of names itself cannot be loaded, the sign-in page shows the reason and a Try again button instead of the Who you are box. Select Try again to load the list again.
If any of these keep appearing, tell whoever looks after ABM Service at your company. The line at the foot of the sign-in page names the version of ABM Service, which is the first thing support asks for.
What does "Failed to fetch" or "The server answered" mean on the sign-in page?
These messages on the ABM Service sign-in page mean your browser could not get a proper answer from ABM Service at all. Your name and password are not the problem: check your connection, wait a moment and try again.
- A short sentence in your browser's own words, such as Failed to fetch. The browser could not reach your company's ABM Service, for example because the network dropped or ABM Service was restarting on your company's server. Select Sign in again once the connection is back.
- A message starting The server answered followed by a number. Something between your browser and ABM Service, such as your company's network equipment, answered in its place. Wait a moment and select Sign in again.
When the list of names cannot be loaded for the same reasons, the browser's own sentence, or a short technical line ending in answered and a number, appears instead of the Who you are box, with a Try again button to load the list again.
Two messages on the sign-in page do not clear by trying again, because ABM Service is not fully set up for your company yet:
- a reason saying that nobody can sign in until the server manager's settings give this company its ABM control database connection;
- a page showing only a few lines of text starting The sign-in page is not built., instead of the sign-in page.
For either of these, and for any message that keeps coming back, tell whoever looks after ABM Service at your company, and give them the version line from the foot of the sign-in page when it is shown.