How to Disable Server Encryption for Dell Data Protection Enterprise Edition

Affected Products:

• Dell Security Management Server
• Dell Data Protection | Enterprise Edition

Affected Versions:

• v8.5 and Later

Affected Operating Systems:

• Windows Server 2016
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows Server 2008

When installing Dell Security Management Server on a Windows Server Operating System, the software Encryption product, Policy Based Encryption (PBE), defaults to a certificate-based authentication mechanism that disables some functionality and removes the ability to have user-based policies for the device. This mode is reset on every reboot, preventing it from ever being disabled or changed.

To permanently disable this check for a Server Operating System, and allow the PBE client to run in a normal user-based authentication mode, you can add this registry key:

Key: HKLM\Software\Dell\Dell Data Protection\Encryption
Value Name: DisableServerOSMode
Type: DWORD
Value: 1

This value must be set before any user is activated. Once an administrator has activated the device using the activation prompt, the mode cannot be changed. It is recommended to set this registry key during the installation of the product.

To contact support, reference Dell Data Security International Support Phone Numbers.
Go to TechDirect to generate a technical support request online.
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