Ignition file - special characters

Overview

The ignition file automates first-time setup of MetaDefender Core (EULA, admin account, database, HTTPS, and more). It uses INI-style key=value lines under sections such as [user] and [dbserver].

Some characters have special meaning. If a password or passphrase contains them and is not written correctly, MetaDefender Core may read a truncated or wrong value without a clear error message.

Default file location

Windows: c:\opswat\ometascan.conf
Linux: /etc/opswat/ometascan.conf

Be careful — the most common mistake

A semicolon (;) inside an unquoted password is treated as the start of a comment. Everything after ; on that line is ignored.

Fields to watch

Check these ignition-file fields carefully when values contain special characters:

[user] password, [user] apikey
[dbserver] password, [dbserver] private_password
[config] import_password
[https] passphrase

Special characters

Character	Why it matters	What to do
`;`	Comment / ends unquoted values	Wrap the whole value in `"..."`. Do not use `\;`.
`=`	Separates key and value	Wrap in quotes if `=` appears inside the value.
`"`	Quote delimiter	Wrap in quotes; escape inner quotes as `\"`.
`\`	Escape prefix	Write a literal backslash as `\\`.
`,`	List separator	Wrap in quotes if comma is part of the value.
`#`	No special meaning	Normal character — no extra escaping needed.

How to write passwords safely

If the value contains ;, =, or , — wrap it in double quotes.
Never use \; to escape a semicolon — it does not work.
Escape \ as \\ and " as \".
Quote-doubling ("") is not supported — use \" instead.

Examples

Password with semicolon

Intended password: Ew6I]7;a:SRD

Bash
    
xxxxxxxxxx
 
[user]name=adminpassword="Ew6I]7;a:SRD"email=admin@local
Copy

Password with semicolon and double quote

Intended password: Say;"hello"

Bash
    
xxxxxxxxxx
 
[user]password="Say;\"hello\""
Copy

Database password

Bash
    
xxxxxxxxxx
 
[dbserver]password="p@ss;w=rd"
Copy

Quick reference

Value contains…	Do this
`;`	Wrap in `"..."` — not `\;`
`"`	Wrap in quotes; use `\"` for each inner quote
`\`	Write `\\`
`;` and `"`	Quotes around value + `\"` for inner quotes

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