Set up Automated Sign-On

Automated Sign-On solves problems associated with modernizing access to mainframe and host applications. These applications typically prompt for a user name and password and are usually hard-coded to accept a maximum of 8 characters for these credentials.

Changing the password to match the user enterprise password is often not practical because of the mainframe limits on password character length and coordination of password changes. Because of this limitation, logging on to mainframe applications requires an identity that is separate from the user enterprise identity.

Open Text Add-Ons that Support Automated Sign-On

Open Text Host Access Management and Security Server (MSS) provides two add-ons that allow users to authenticate to a front-end system using a modern form of authentication, such as a smart card, certificate, LDAP password, or Kerberos. After authenticating to this system, they are automatically logged on to a mainframe or host application.

• The Automated Sign-On for Mainframe Add-On enables automated sign-on for a z/OS Mainframe. It includes middleware that maps the user enterprise identity to the user mainframe identity. After authentication through the front-end system, the user is automatically logged on to the host application. (See Implementing Automated Sign-On for the z/OS Mainframe.)

• The Automated Sign-On for Host Access Add-On enables automated sign-on for other types of host systems (non z/OS). After authenticating through the front-end system, the user's enterprise identity is mapped to the user's host identity and a one-time password is generated. The host identity and one-time password are used to log the user on to the host application. In order to accept and validate this one-time password, the MSS Automated Sign-On (ASO) protocol must be implemented on the host computer. See Implementing Automated Sign-On for Host Systems for more information.

  A dialog box to record the Automated Sign-On Parameters is available for administrators to quickly generate a connection macro giving assigned users quick access to host systems.