Reporting Services Encryption Key

Does anyone know how often we should backup our reporting services encryption
key, rsdbkey.txt?
Does it need backed up when a datasource is added, security is changed, new
report added, etc'
I backed it up at installation time, but should it be backed once a week or
month?
Also, what exactly does this file restore?
Thanks
WendyReporting Services uses encryption keys to secure credentials and connection
information that is stored in a report server database. In Reporting
Services, encryption keys include a combination of public, private, and
symmetric keys that are used to protect sensitive data. The symmetric key is
created during report server initialization when you install or configure
the report server, and it is used by the report server to encrypt sensitive
data that is stored in the report server. Public and private keys are
created by the operating system, and they are used to protect the symmetric
key. A public and private key pair is created for each report server
instance that stores sensitive data in a report server database.
It is necessary to restore the backup copy of the encryption key when any of
the following events occur:
a.. Changing the Report Server Windows service account name or resetting
the password. When you use the Reporting Services Configuration tool,
backing up the key is part of a service account name change operation.
Note:
Resetting the password is not the same as changing the password. A
password reset requires permission to overwrite account information on the
domain controller. Password resets are performed by a system administrator
when you forget or do not know a particular password. Only password resets
require symmetric key restoration. Periodically changing an account password
does not require you to reset the symmetric key.
b.. Renaming the computer or instance that hosts the report server (a
report server instance is based on a SQL Server instance name).
c.. Migrating a report server installation or configuring a report server
to use a different report server database.
d.. Recovering a report server installation due to hardware failure.
You only need to back up one copy of the symmetric key. There is a
one-to-one correspondence between a report server database and a symmetric
key. Although you only need to back up one copy, you might need to restore
the key multiple times if you are running multiple report servers in a
scale-out deployment model. Each report server instance will need its copy
of the symmetric key to lock and unlock data in the report server database.
Andy Potter
blog : http://sqlreportingservices.spaces.live.com
info@.(NOSPAM)lakeclaireenterprises.com
"Woo" <Woo@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:67AD8BBF-7C34-44C2-969B-0911C63139D9@.microsoft.com...
> Does anyone know how often we should backup our reporting services
> encryption
> key, rsdbkey.txt?
> Does it need backed up when a datasource is added, security is changed,
> new
> report added, etc'
> I backed it up at installation time, but should it be backed once a week
> or
> month?
> Also, what exactly does this file restore?
> Thanks
> Wendy
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end|||If the key stores connection information, then if I create a new datasource
for a Report would I not need to backup the key again to make sure any
restores include this new connection information?
"Andy Potter" wrote:
> Reporting Services uses encryption keys to secure credentials and connection
> information that is stored in a report server database. In Reporting
> Services, encryption keys include a combination of public, private, and
> symmetric keys that are used to protect sensitive data. The symmetric key is
> created during report server initialization when you install or configure
> the report server, and it is used by the report server to encrypt sensitive
> data that is stored in the report server. Public and private keys are
> created by the operating system, and they are used to protect the symmetric
> key. A public and private key pair is created for each report server
> instance that stores sensitive data in a report server database.
> It is necessary to restore the backup copy of the encryption key when any of
> the following events occur:
> a.. Changing the Report Server Windows service account name or resetting
> the password. When you use the Reporting Services Configuration tool,
> backing up the key is part of a service account name change operation.
>
> Note:
> Resetting the password is not the same as changing the password. A
> password reset requires permission to overwrite account information on the
> domain controller. Password resets are performed by a system administrator
> when you forget or do not know a particular password. Only password resets
> require symmetric key restoration. Periodically changing an account password
> does not require you to reset the symmetric key.
>
> b.. Renaming the computer or instance that hosts the report server (a
> report server instance is based on a SQL Server instance name).
> c.. Migrating a report server installation or configuring a report server
> to use a different report server database.
> d.. Recovering a report server installation due to hardware failure.
> You only need to back up one copy of the symmetric key. There is a
> one-to-one correspondence between a report server database and a symmetric
> key. Although you only need to back up one copy, you might need to restore
> the key multiple times if you are running multiple report servers in a
> scale-out deployment model. Each report server instance will need its copy
> of the symmetric key to lock and unlock data in the report server database.
>
> --
> Andy Potter
> blog : http://sqlreportingservices.spaces.live.com
> info@.(NOSPAM)lakeclaireenterprises.com
> "Woo" <Woo@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:67AD8BBF-7C34-44C2-969B-0911C63139D9@.microsoft.com...
> > Does anyone know how often we should backup our reporting services
> > encryption
> > key, rsdbkey.txt?
> >
> > Does it need backed up when a datasource is added, security is changed,
> > new
> > report added, etc'
> >
> > I backed it up at installation time, but should it be backed once a week
> > or
> > month?
> >
> > Also, what exactly does this file restore?
> >
> > Thanks
> > Wendy
>
>|||this is about users, passwords that the report server uses
what about the data in the report
anyone has some documentation about that ?
"Woo" wrote:
> If the key stores connection information, then if I create a new datasource
> for a Report would I not need to backup the key again to make sure any
> restores include this new connection information?
>
>
> "Andy Potter" wrote:
> > Reporting Services uses encryption keys to secure credentials and connection
> > information that is stored in a report server database. In Reporting
> > Services, encryption keys include a combination of public, private, and
> > symmetric keys that are used to protect sensitive data. The symmetric key is
> > created during report server initialization when you install or configure
> > the report server, and it is used by the report server to encrypt sensitive
> > data that is stored in the report server. Public and private keys are
> > created by the operating system, and they are used to protect the symmetric
> > key. A public and private key pair is created for each report server
> > instance that stores sensitive data in a report server database.
> >
> > It is necessary to restore the backup copy of the encryption key when any of
> > the following events occur:
> > a.. Changing the Report Server Windows service account name or resetting
> > the password. When you use the Reporting Services Configuration tool,
> > backing up the key is part of a service account name change operation.
> >
> >
> > Note:
> > Resetting the password is not the same as changing the password. A
> > password reset requires permission to overwrite account information on the
> > domain controller. Password resets are performed by a system administrator
> > when you forget or do not know a particular password. Only password resets
> > require symmetric key restoration. Periodically changing an account password
> > does not require you to reset the symmetric key.
> >
> >
> > b.. Renaming the computer or instance that hosts the report server (a
> > report server instance is based on a SQL Server instance name).
> >
> > c.. Migrating a report server installation or configuring a report server
> > to use a different report server database.
> >
> > d.. Recovering a report server installation due to hardware failure.
> >
> > You only need to back up one copy of the symmetric key. There is a
> > one-to-one correspondence between a report server database and a symmetric
> > key. Although you only need to back up one copy, you might need to restore
> > the key multiple times if you are running multiple report servers in a
> > scale-out deployment model. Each report server instance will need its copy
> > of the symmetric key to lock and unlock data in the report server database.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Andy Potter
> > blog : http://sqlreportingservices.spaces.live.com
> > info@.(NOSPAM)lakeclaireenterprises.com
> > "Woo" <Woo@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:67AD8BBF-7C34-44C2-969B-0911C63139D9@.microsoft.com...
> > > Does anyone know how often we should backup our reporting services
> > > encryption
> > > key, rsdbkey.txt?
> > >
> > > Does it need backed up when a datasource is added, security is changed,
> > > new
> > > report added, etc'
> > >
> > > I backed it up at installation time, but should it be backed once a week
> > > or
> > > month?
> > >
> > > Also, what exactly does this file restore?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Wendy
> >
> >
> >