[Version 5.0.1 and later]Local operating system user registries

With the local operating system, or Local OS, user registry implementation, the WebSphere authentication mechanism can use the user accounts database of the local operating system.

WebSphere Application Server for z/OS uses the System Authorization Facility (SAF) interfaces. SAF interfaces are defined by MVS to enable applications to use system authorization services or user registries to control access to resources such as data sets and MVS commands. SAF either processes security authorization requests directly or works with RACF, or other security products, to process the requests.

A Local OS user registry is not a centralized user registry like LDAP, but it is a centralized registry within a sysplex.

Do not use a Local OS user registry in a WebSphere Application Server environment, where application servers are dispersed across more than one machine because each machine has its own user registry.

Because these IDs are typically unique identifiers, they vary from machine to machine, even if the exact users and passwords exist on each machine.

Web client certificate authentication is supported when using the local operating system user registry. Digital certificates can be mapped to MVS identities by both Web and Java clients when you select Local OS. A certificate name filter can be used to simplify the mapping. If you are using RACF as the security server, the RACDCERT MAP command creates a resource profile that maps multiple user identities to a digital certificate in order to simplify administration of certificates, conserve storage space in the RACF database, maintain accountability, or maintain access control granularity.

Using both the domain registry and the local registry

When the machine hosting the WebSphere Application Server process is a member of a domain, both the local and the domain registries are used by default. The following section describes more on this topic and recommends some best practices to avoid undesirable consequences.

Using either the local or the domain registry. If you want to access users and groups from either the local registry or the domain registry, instead of both, set the property com.ibm.websphere.registry.UseRegistry. This property can be set to either local or domain. When this property is set to local (case insensitive) only the local registry is used. When this property is set to domain (case insensitive) only the domain registry is used. Set this property by clicking Custom Properties in the Security > User Registries > Local OS panel in the administrative console or by using scripts. When the property is set, the privilege requirement for the user who is running the product process does not change. For example, if this property is set to local, the user running the process requires the same privilege, as if the property was not set.

Note:

Remote registries

By default, the registry is local to all of the product processes. The performance is higher, (no need for remote calls) and the registry also increases availability. Any process failing does not effect other processes. When using LocalOS as the registry, every product process must run with privilege access. If this process is not practical in some situations, you can use a remote registry from the node (or in very rare situations from the cell). Using a remote registry affects performance and creates a single point of failure. Use remote registries only in rare situations.

The node and the cell processes are meant for manipulating configuration information and using them to host the registry for all the application servers creates traffic and can cause problems. Using a node agent (instead of the cell) to host the remote registry is preferable because since the cell process is not designed to be highly available. Also, using a node to host the remote registry indicates that only the application servers in that node are using it. Because the Node Agent does not contain any application code, giving it the access required, privilege is not a concern.

You can set up a remote registry by setting the WAS_UseRemoteRegistry property in the Global Security panel using the Custom Properties link at the bottom of the administrative console panel. Use either the Cell or the Node (case insensitive) value. If the value is Cell, the cell registry is used by all of the product processes including the node agent and all of the application servers. If the cell process is down for any reason, restart all of the processes after the cell is restarted. If the node agent registry needs is used for the remote registry, set the value, WAS_UseRemoteRegistry, to node. In this case, all the application server processes use the node agent registry. In this case, if the node agent fails and does not start automatically, then depending on that node agent, you might need to restart all the application servers, after the node agent is started.


Related concepts
Configuring local operating system user registries
Related reference
Simple WebSphere authentication mechanism
Custom user registries



Searchable topic ID:   cseclocalos
Last updated: Jun 21, 2007 9:56:50 PM CDT    WebSphere Application Server for z/OS, Version 5.0.2
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