Fingerprint reader on both TP and external keyboard ?

[kiig]

Hi all. My t43P has the inbuild FPR and it works like a charm. If I bought the IBM Business Black Preferred Pro USB Fingerprint Keyboard, - which also has an inbuild FPR... then what....
Will I be able to use 'either' FPR with my current 'enrollment' of fingers, - or will it be 2 different 'devices' with it's own set af 'fingers'.. ?

at home I use the fpr on the laptop, - at work I plug it in a dock, - and it would be easy'er just to 'swipe' my finger there as well... and I even need a new keyboard anyway..

Will the keyboard work on other computers as well, - or is it 'IBM only'.. somehow... ?

We're thinking of using Utimaco SafeGuard Easy throughout the organisation, - 40+ laptops from different manufactorers.... both IBM and others...

[davidspalding]

I'm using a Preferred USB keyboard without FPR, and it works fine at my work desk this week on an HP.

As for the FPR ... dunno. Sorry.

[kiig]

I did mean the FPR part.... .-) but I realise I didn't write it, - so, - yes, - the keyboard must be a standard USB thing.... and I now also assume the FPR to be a 'standard' USB device, - and thus would probably work (given the correct drivers) on any Windows PC.

I'll receive the keyboard tomorrow so then I'll know if I have 2 unique FPR's on my computer, - or whatever might happen. I'll post back if noone knows the answer to that one.

[davidspalding]

Some of the help info in Access IBM led me to suspect that the fingerprint images/profiles were saved "in the FPR," rather than in non-volatile EPROM or something. Sounds silly. I would HOPE that your keyboard FPR would recognize the same fingers, by using the TP's security circuitry.

Please do let us know, if so, it's a nice setup. I, too, am getting annoyed at having to crack open my docked T43 when I want CSS to plug a pw into a web page for me.

[kiig]

Finally got the keyboard... I think I'll reinstall CSS and the fpr drivers and so on , - just to see if anything changes, - because I doesn't work exactly as I'd thought...

But.. once installed and the machine is booted, - either of the FPR's will work with all the fingers enrolled. that is, - e.i. right index finger (enrolled on the internal fpr) will also work on the 'external', - so they work as expected here. The 'list of fingers' or passports,- are not related to the physical FPR, - which is good Either one will do.

Returning from a password protected screensaver is much easy'er in the dock now, - you just use the external fpr... and I assume it works with the password manager (haven't tried it).

But when I cold boot it, - it will only accept readings from the internal fpr, - not the keyboard one... the keyboard works, - I can press Escape and enter my passphrase and all, - but the "Access IBM" doesn't work @ boottime either (on the external keyboard), - so I suspect something is not quite right here....

The manual (or whereever I found this information) states that connecting the external keyboard with FPR will disable to internal fpr.... (which obviously doesn't happen here)

Which initially would be allright for me, - when docked, - I use the external one, - when un-docked (where I don't have the keyboard anyway) I use the internal...

I just need to make it work this way

Apart from that, - the keyboard is very 'flat' (not tilted enugh) and takes some practice to get used to the "a little bit hard'er keys", - they feel like they require more 'force', - but still they are very responsive, - I tend to press to hard thoug it's not required for the key to 'register'...
If I just _type_... flat out.. it goes fast and without (too many errors), - so somehow we're ment for each other


Anyway, - the price was 5x the standard keyboard, - so I'd better keep it on my desk and see if I can get it work and try to get used to it

But it *does* look better on the table than my old Dell keyboard... Yeah...!

Kim.

[davidspalding]

I would suspect that at boot time, the only functions the keyboard will provide are the basics. Even though it's USB, no special drivers or such will provide software support for the keyboard's extended features. Is there something that specifically SAYS the external fingerprint reader will work for power-on password authentication?

... OMFG, for that price, it doesn't even have the Internet FWD/BACK keys?

[kiig]

You're right, - no internet keys on it

The manual with the keyboard says :

Code: Select all

With the integrated fingerprint reader, you can enroll your fingerprint and associate it with a power-on password, hard disk password, or both passwords beforehand. Thus the fingerprint authentication can replace passwords and enable simple and secure user access.

and

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Problem: The ThinkPad(R) built-in Fingerprint Reader does not work when a USB Fingerprint Reader is installed. 
 
Solution: The Fingerprint Reader software only operates with one reader. When a USB Fingerprint Reader is installed, the software recognizes only the USB Fingerprint Reader and will not work with the internal one. 

Which lead me to beleave it should work... but now I found the following on the Thinkvantage Fingerprint Software download page :

Code: Select all

At this time ThinkPads do not support Power-on Security function with the external fingerprint readers.

All integrated fingerprint readers support the Power-on Security function.

Refer to BIOS documentation for supported version.

Called IBM Global Services who said "Ahwhat?" when I explained my question to them, - and by the time I called back to inform them of my last finding, - they said "well, - then it's not possible"...

So be it....

[davidspalding]

Gee, I could see returning such a keyboard since the manual is defective. Saying you can do something, that doesn't work,... yuck. I can appreciate the ease of having it right there, but for my money, I'd rather get the keyboards with Internet keys, media control keys, or just spring for a replica Northgate with programmable keys.

Someone here is going to laugh right out of his/her chair, but on my old programmable keyboard at home (a relatively secure spot) I have one or two passwords saved in not-easy-to-find spots. So I don't have to type LKD83j1!dj4uU92@, I just type Ctrl + Shift + F8a. A FPR is better, but.... Those IBM Preferred keyboards are nice (I have one with a 2-port USB hub in it, which is sweet), but not $99 nice IMHO.

[rssb]

http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/store ... lCurrId=73

Does the following mean that Power on security is supported by USB readers also now, and will this be extended to the T4x series also in near future ?

"Use fingerprint instead of BIOS password on supported sytstems. (ThinkPad Z60t, Z60, T60, X60 and ThinkCentre A51/M51/M52)"

[davidspalding]

I think this, and Kiig's post, are self-explanatory. The latest models support USB FPRs for power-on. Older ones (those not designed and released under Lenovo) apparently do not.

[rssb]

At the time when Kiig posted his post, no thinkpads were supported. Now the Z60,T60,X60 series seem to support it.

What I wanted to confirm since Z60 was not supported earlier but is now, does this mean even T43's will be supported in future, I belive T43's and Z60 came around the same time with similar chipsets, video card options etc...