ID Recovery – Differences Between user.id and ~~tmpid.ide

After setting up ID Recovery (available since Notes/Domino R5), backup copies of user IDs are transported via mail routing into a Mail-In database (ID vault). This applies both to newly registered users and to existing users whose ID is renewed or for whom a name or department (certifier) change is performed.

You will notice that the backup IDs for newly registered users in the Mail-In database have the file name user.id. However, if a user is renamed or the certifier (department) is changed, the file is named ~~tmpid.ide. This name looks somewhat unusual and may give the uneasy impression that it is not a fully functional backup of a user ID.

In principle, both variants are a fully functional replacement for a user ID – in case of loss or damage, they can be used as a substitute for the previously used user ID.

A backup ID with the file name user.id also contains the originally used password – with this ID, the user could immediately continue working "normally".

IDs with the file name ~~tmpid.ide do not contain the originally used password. In order to use such a file on the Notes client, the administration must extract the recovery password (16-digit HEX code) and provide it to the Notes user together with the ID file (e.g. renamed to user.id).

After the end user has set a new, individual password during the password recovery cycle, they once again have a complete user ID.

The information provided here is based on the IBM technote How Is the „~~tmpid.ide“ File in the Recovery Database Used? (Reference #1174413).