The Self-Service Portal is a licensed module. Its features only appear once your license includes the portal — there is nothing to install separately. This page explains what activation looks like and how the add-on and standalone deployments differ.
The Self-Service Portal is enabled by your license key, the same way the rest of the product is licensed. When your license includes the portal module, the application detects it and surfaces the portal features automatically.
When the module is licensed, you will see:
/admin/SelfServiceSettings)./admin/TestSelfServiceReset.When the module is not licensed, none of the above is reachable: the admin pages redirect away, the Self-Service menu is hidden, the “Forgot password?” link does not appear, and the public reset URL is not served.
If you are evaluating the portal on a trial key, the navigation entries are marked with a Trial badge while the trial is active.
The portal runs in one of two deployment shapes. The feature set is the same in both — the difference is only what else runs alongside it.
This is the typical case for an existing AD Group Manager Web customer. The portal activates inside your existing installation:
adgm.db database.No new installation is required. Once your license includes the module, the portal appears on the install you already run.
Choose this when you want self-service on its own server — for example, a host in a different network segment dedicated to the reset flow:
A common pattern is to run the standalone portal on a server reachable from outside, so locked-out users can recover their accounts, while keeping the full Group Manager Web install internal.
| Situation | Recommended deployment |
|---|---|
| You already run AD Group Manager Web and want self-service on the same box | Add-on module |
| You want the public reset page isolated on its own host or network segment | Standalone portal |
| You do not use group management at all and only want self-service | Standalone portal |
Once the module is licensed and you have decided where it runs, continue to Configuring Password Reset to set up the service account, verification delivery, and security limits.