Authentication

Authentication means that users identify themselves to gain access to the system. Users can identify themselves immediately upon entry to the system or they can be challenged by the system when they try to access a protected resource before identifying themselves. The user ID/password combination is the most common method of identifying a user to the system.

After a user has been authenticated, the system can determine if that user is authorized to access the resources that are requested. See Authorization for more information on accessing resources.

By default WebSphere Portal uses the Custom Form-based Authentication mechanism of WAS to prompt users for identity. Alternately, the system can be configured for third-party authentication (through an external security manager such as Tivoli Access Manager) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Client Authentication.

This section describes the following authentication topics:


 

See also