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## Setting Up Global Account

Global Account is a single sign-on (SSO) technology feature that allows you to log in to different Parallels products using a single global login and password. If you have several accounts in Parallels Plesk Panel, you can connect them all to a global account and switch between these accounts without entering a password every time. You can also connect all your accounts in other Parallels products to your global account and switch among them without providing credentials.

To use single sign-on, you will first need to install SSO service on a server, and then connect your Parallels Plesk Panel server to it. The SSO service can be located either on the same Linux/Unix-based server where Parallels Plesk Panel is installed, or on another networked computer running Linux/Unix operating system.

Windows-based machines cannot be used for running SSO servers.

If you installed Parallels Plesk Panel with Billing support, then the SSO service was also installed on the server, and you can start using it: just switch on support for single sign-on as described further in this section.

If the SSO service was not installed, then you need to install it either on your Parallels Plesk Panel server for Linux/Unix, or on another Linux/Unix-based machine.

Important: If you want to use another Linux/Unix-based machine as an SSO server, then you need to synchronize the system date and time between the Parallels Plesk Panel server and the computer that will run SSO service. This must be done before you start installing SSO service components. You need to do it because authentication between an SSO client and a remote SSO server is being performed using SSL certificates. Certificates are very sensitive to date and time matching on client and server machine.

To install the SSO service:

1. Log in to the server shell over SSH. Use the "root" user account.
2. If you are installing on a server, where Parallels Plesk Panel is already installed, then locate the `parallels_`installer`` binary file, which is usually placed in the directory `/usr/local/psa/admin/bin/` on FreeBSD and RPM-based Linux systems, and `/opt/psa/admin/bin/` on deb-based Linux systems.

   If you are installing on a server where Parallels Plesk Panel is not installed, then you need to obtain the installer file and copy it to the server:

   1. Visit http://www.parallels.com/en/download/plesk9/ and download the Parallels Products Installer utility that suits your operating system.
   2. Save it on your server's hard drive.
   3. Change your working directory to the directory where the Parallels Products Installer utility resides, for example:

      `# cd /root/plesk`

   4. Set the execution permission for Parallels Products Installer:

      `# chmod +x parallels_products_installer_file_name`

3. Run the installer file with the `--web-interface` option:

   `# parallels_products_installer_file_name --web-interface`

4. Open your Web browser and enter `http` `s`://machine.domain.name:8447/`` or `http` `s`://IP-address:8447/`` in the address bar. The Parallels Product Installer's Web interface opens. Log in as root.
5. Click Install or Upgrade Product. You are taken to the list of Parallels products that are installed or available for installation.
6. Select the check box corresponding to the SSO item.
7. Select the Full installation type and click Continue.
8. After installation is finished, click OK.

To switch on support for single sign-on on a Linux/Unix server, do the following:

1. Log in to the server shell over SSH. Use the "root" user account.
2. Register your server with the single sign-on server: issue the command `<parallels_plesk_panel_installation_directory>/bin/sso --set-prefs -server https://idp-master.example.com:11443.`
3. Switch on single sign-on: issue the command `<parallels_plesk_panel_installation_directory>/bin/sso -e.`

Now you can proceed to the section Creating a Global Account.

If you need more information about using the sso command line utility, refer to Parallels Plesk Panel 9.5 for Linux/Unix Command Line Utilities Reference, section "Single Sign-On Configuration: sso Utility".

To switch on support for single sign-on on a Windows server, do the following:

1. Log in to the server shell as administrator.
2. Register your server with the single sign-on server: issue the command <parallels_plesk_panel_installation_directory>\bin\sso.exe `--set-prefs` -server https://idp-master.example.com:11443.
3. Switch on single sign-on: issue the command <parallels_plesk_panel_installation_directory>\bin\sso.exe -e.

In this section: Creating a Global Account Connecting Local Accounts To Your Global Account Switching Between Accounts Changing Global Account Password Disconnecting Local Accounts From Global Account