Password Book

The Password Book is the teacher’s local, encrypted list of student Mac passwords — used when a client needs sudo to finish an update or a repair that the automatic flow cannot complete.

Why it exists

Student clients install and update without root. A few maintenance actions — installing the firewall helper, repairing a partial update — still require an administrator password on the student’s own machine. The Password Book lets the teacher supply that password without interrupting the lesson: the client asks the host for help, and the teacher’s machine answers from its book.

Format

Each line is one machine:

host-name:password

• One entry per line: the host name, a colon, then the password.
• Blank lines and lines starting with # are ignored.

How to use it

1. In the Admin console, open Actions → Password Book.
2. Import a file, or edit the book directly in the page.
3. Save — the book is encrypted and stored locally on the teacher’s Mac.

Security

• The book is encrypted at rest with your unlock password — it is decrypted only in memory while the admin app is unlocked.
• It never leaves the teacher’s machine.
• Passwords are used one at a time, for the exact host that requested help; they are never broadcast across the classroom.