Anyone accessing the KVM must log in by entering a username and password. Usernames and passwords entered during login attempts are checked against a database that lists all the valid usernames along with the encrypted passwords. Access is denied if the username or password is not valid. The password database that is used for checking can reside either locally (on the KVM) or on an authentication server on the network. The selected authentication server must be already installed and configured in order for authentication to work. Using one or more of the many types of popular authentication methods supported on the KVM can reduce administrator workload when a user account needs to be added, modified, or deleted.