(ZOS) Password case sensitivity using a local operating system registry
Knowing when a password is interpreted as case sensitive or not can directly affect how we use a local operating system registry. WebSphere Application Server exploits the mixed case password option for the Resource Access Control Facility (RACF ) and allows us to use case sensitive passwords.
Since z/OS Version 1.7, RACF supports the option of a mixed case password. You select this option for RACF using the SETROPTS PASSWORD(MIXEDCASE) command. To use case sensitive passwords in WAS for a local operating system registry, we must comply with all of the following requirements:
- Use z/OS Version 1.7 or higher.
To use the Liberty profile capabilities of z/OS, we must use Version 1.11 or later.
- Use the local operating system registry.
- Turn on the RACF mixed case option with the SETROPTS PASSWORD(MIXEDCASE) command.
Important: All three of these requirements must be met; otherwise, WAS password will not be sensitive to case.
If we use an LDAP configuration, we can use mixed case passwords.
For more information on the mixed case password feature in z/OS Version 1.7, see Z/OS V1R7.0 Security Server RACF Security Administrator's Guide. This guide is available under "Security Server and Integrated Security Services. Within the guide, see section 5.2.1.
There is an SDBM alternative setup for LDAP. See topic SDBM authorization in the Tivoli Directory Server for z/OS section of the z/OS V1R11 information center.
Related:
Local operating system registries Select a registry or repository Z/OS V1R7.0 Security Server RACF Security Administrator's Guide