Protected Directories not functioning as documented.

I posted months ago in the proper spot and got no replies, so I will try here. Over this time I have had to use protected directories to protect the phpmyadmin script installer of phpMyAdmin in webroots so I don't end up with a brute force issue and possible loss of my databases. The Protected Web Directories option does only one thing right in my case, protect the directory - no webmin or virtualmin user assigned to it or not can log in. All attempts to log in fail. So I have had to fuss around turning it on and off when I need to access it as it does protect it, but there is no way to sign in without failure. It does leave the ability to keep people out of the folder, but as the owner, I can't get in.

While I have read and re-read all there is to read with regard to this, it is not performing as expected. I have after spending countless hours trying to figure out what I might possibly have done wrong, I've wondered if it has anything to do with how my install is set up. Perhaps to that avail maybe a support ticket would help so my hierarchy of servers can be assessed as that is the only thing I can think of. I will try and explain it here.

mainserver.com - The Hosting Company "role" subserver1.com
subserver2.com subserver3.com subserver4.com

I am not reselling or anything at the moment, but it is to the best of my knowledge set up in that manner, at least I have a top level domain, as one would if they were selling hosting. Then beneath that are all sub-servers for a handful of my own projects/domains. The reason to include this info, is the only possible thing I can think of that makes trying to log into a folder I have protected might be how my users are set up. That is the last thing I tried 100 days from Sunday to attempt any set up or change I could think of yet simply nothing works. It does seem likely that this issue could be how my structure is configured, but I simply am out of hours, days and coffee troubleshooting this.

Have any other users encountered this sort of issue with protected directories that once protected and assigned to a user (and password) that no user or password combination work? As mentioned above I have been doing all I can think to do and that is protecting the directory - and then when I need to access the phpMyAdmin directory, deleting the protection while I work there, then re-protecting it which keeps everyone INCLUDING ME OUT. Jamie and others, should I make a technical support ticket, or do you or others have any notion why this is happening?

Thanks in advance, Douglas